Fun Ways To Teach Your Kid To Brush Their Teeth

Establishing good oral hygiene habits early is the best way to help your child avoid experiencing toothaches, dental emergencies, or cavities in their teeth. Have a look at the tips below that we, here at Abacus Dental Care, recommend for you.

Brush Your Teeth Together

Try to make your tooth brushing routine a family experience. Families who brush their teeth together tend to brush their teeth for longer and more thoroughly. You could even try games, for example seeing who can brush the longest and once your two minutes are up, your child will have “won” the game if they’re still brushing. Make sure your child can watch you brush your teeth so that they can mirror your movements, making gentle circular motions on each tooth individually. Slowly work your way around all of the outsides of the teeth in all four quarters of your mouth, then brush the insides and the chewing surfaces. Paediatric dental experts also say that teeth need to be cleaned interdentally at least once a day. At this age, disposable floss sticks tend to be easiest. Let your child try using the floss sticks on their own, then help them to clean in between each tooth.

Involve Your Child When Choosing a Toothbrush and Toothpaste

Paediatric dental professionals say that children need to use an age-appropriate toothbrush and a toothpaste that contains fluoride. As long as you’re choosing the correctly sized toothbrush, you can get your child more interested in brushing their teeth when they play a role in choosing their toothbrush. This also applies to toothpaste, make sure the toothpaste contains fluoride but let your child choose what they would like to use when it comes to flavours or the design of the toothpaste. This will help them to want to use these products at home.

Take Your Time

Adults and children should spend 2 minutes brushing their teeth twice a day to maintain good oral health. Our dentists and hygienist recommend using a small timer or a toothbrush with a timer to help with this. Another option is to play your child’s favourite song whilst they’re brushing their teeth. Most songs last at least two and a half minutes which allows more than enough time to adequately brush teeth.

Play “Dentist” at Home

One of the best ways for your child to learn to brush and floss properly, is to play “dentist” at home, which will also help to make your child’s first dental experience a positive one. Start with your child’s favourite toy and “brush” around their mouth making small circles. You could also take turns laying each other’s heads in your laps and brush each other’s teeth. This will help your child to enjoy their teeth cleaning routine and make your life easier when you visit us here at Abacus Dental Care.

Always Double Check

Until your child has the dexterity they need to efficiently clean their teeth on their own, you will have to brush their teeth after to ensure your child’s teeth are cleaned sufficiently. Definitely encourage their independence and their own oral hygiene routine but continue to follow up after to make sure all tooth surfaces are clean. The evening brush before bedtime is the most important in order to make sure they’re going to sleep with clean teeth. By helping your child with their oral hygiene, it will help to avoid the most common childhood disease which is tooth decay. We always advise that preventative dentistry is the way forward to a healthy smile for life.