When it comes to teaching your little ones healthy dental habits, it doesn’t have to be a ‘grin and bear it’ ordeal. Don’t make brushing a battle. Make it a blast! You can promote healthy brushing habits by making brushing and flossing fun for everyone with some of these tips that celebrate positive dental health habits:
Make Brushing a Blast with Some Tunes!
Want to be a rockin’ parent? Want your children to benefit from healthy gums and teeth and enjoy a lifetime of smiles? Try putting on some music when brushing time rolls around. This makes that twice a day routine more lively and fun.
You can even let your child choose the song and introduce some of your favorite songs as well. Instead of counting down the 120 seconds of brushing twice a day, the time will fly and they’ll fall in love with a light-hearted good time while practicing good habits.
Let Your Little One Take Ownership of Their Routine with Rewards
We love the idea of letting your child keep track of their routine with a brushing chart and earning rewards they get to choose. Create a tiny treasure box with dollar store prizes that they pick out. You can set how many weeks in a row they need to complete before choosing their prize!
Celebrate 6 months of consistent brushing with a new toothbrush your child picks out and a bonus trip to the playground.
Read About It: Exercise Your Child’s Imagination
One of the best ways to encourage healthy dental habits is to find some fun books that illustrate health habits and how great going to the dentist can be ; ). You can even incorporate some fun dental-related youtube videos into your child’s repertoire Like this one: Going to the Dentist by Mercer Mayer.
Get Crafty: Let Your Kids Decorate Their Dental Floss Spools
There’s one thing that never fails: kids love stickers! Let your little one decorate their dental floss each time they finish a roll. This helps them personalize their floss and encourage smiles in the process!
You can even start a brushing and flossing chart. If your son or daughter completes their flossing challenge, then have fun with floss. Try a homemade dreamcatcher or mobile. Make up a story about the flossing fairy and surprise your child with a special toy or gift hanging from their dreamcatcher or mobile.
Get Hands-On with an Experiment
Let your kids learn from doing and seeing. This boiled egg experiment is a great way for kids to see how their diet affects their teeth. We find this one fun for parents too.
This Germs + Food = Cavities Activity is a great illustration of how germs work and sweets can cause cavities.
Remember that healthy habits start young. In fact, according to an article from Psychology Today, habits instilled in children by the age of nine remain consistent through high school and beyond.
So, keep up the good work by encouraging brushing and flossing twice a day and sharing your insight into a healthy mouth, healthy eating habits, and coming by for your annual exams. From our office to your home, have aflossome day!
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