4 Ways to Get Your Child Excited About Brushing Their Teeth
We all know how important brushing and flossing are to keeping your child’s teeth healthy and strong, and that good oral care is a key investment in your child’s overall health and wellness as they grow. Too many kids, however, hate brushing their teeth. The most important means of ensuring your child maintains strong oral health is to make it a habit and a routine. The trick is how to accomplish this. So what is a parent to do? Here are four tips from your local Cumming pediatric dentist to get your child excited about brushing their teeth.
Make it a Game
The more fun you can make something, the more eager the child will be to engage in the task. The key is to get your kids in the habit of brushing their teeth, and by making it fun, you’ll encourage this habit. Even something as small as betting your child that you can brush your teeth better than they can will add a little element of competition which encourages game play. Before you know it, tooth brushing time will become a routine.
Characters and Stories
There are toothbrushes out there that feature superheroes, popular animated characters, storybook characters and every other child-friendly topic you can imagine. Buy one (or more) of these fun toothbrushes and you’ll find that your child views brushing time as time spent with their favorite imaginary friends or heroes. This is yet another way that brushing their teeth can be fun, which will lead to excitement about the process.
Kids also love stories and storytelling. Why not integrate those fun characters with great stories about protecting the ivory kingdom against the evil Knights of Tartar, who want to tear down the kingdom’s magnificent spires?
Good thing your child’s superhero toothbrush is there to save the day!
Rewards
Reward systems are always a handy way to teach your child proper behavior patterns, and brushing their teeth is no different. Be careful not to send mixed messages, however; you don’t want to encourage tooth brushing by offering sugary snacks. This is counterproductive. Use rewards like letting them watch their favorite movie or staying up a little later if they properly and regularly brush their teeth.
Share Your Time
One of the best ways to encourage a behavior in your child is to do it together. Children want to emulate their parents, and always want to do what their parents do. Have you ever been running the vacuum and had your child pull out their toy vacuum to do it as well? Tooth brushing is just the same. When your child sees you brushing and flossing, they’ll follow suit. Make it part of your together time and enjoy building this habit together.
These four tips are just a few of the ways you can make brushing their teeth fun and exciting for your child. As you work together, your child will build the kind of healthy habits that will invest in their future and for which they’ll thank you. If you are looking for a great Cumming pediatric dentist, learn a bit about us, then call for an appointment today!
