Getting your child to brush their teeth is a huge chore for most parents. Kids usually do not yet understand the importance of dental hygiene, they forget to brush their teeth, or they want their parents to do it for them. Getting your child enthusiastic about their oral health might seem like a daunting task but it can be made much easier than you think. A few simple steps will help you get your child to brush their teeth even if they usually don’t want to.
Buy a Fun Toothbrush
Because most parents have such a hard time getting their children to brush their teeth, a huge market has been created around producing fun toothbrushes for children. At most regular discount stores there will be a huge selection of toothbrushes with fun features. Many have popular cartoon characters on them, fun designs, or even sing songs. The musical toothbrushes are exceptionally good because they are usually timed to let your child know when they are supposed to start and stop brushing. It makes a fun game out of it.
Compliment Your Child’s Brushing
Children love positive reinforcement. It is really rewarding for them to hear from you that they are doing a good job at something. Dental hygiene habits are no exception. If you begin regularly complimenting how clean your child’s teeth look, how beautiful and white they look, and what a great job they are doing at remembering to brush, they will love the feedback. Most children respond by wanting to repeat the behavior and keep getting the positive reinforcement. Eventually the habit will have been created and they will be more likely to stick to the routine.
Reward Them for Healthy Teeth
For kids who do not like brushing their teeth, creating a reward system for good successful to the dentist can incentivize them really well. Taking them to their favorite restaurant, giving them their choice of their favorite vegetables or fruits. If considering cosmetic dentetistry in Somerset, parents should know how bad candy is for teeth. Veggies and fruit are a much healthier snack choice. If they know they need to have no cavities when they go to the dentist to get their reward, it will motivate them to be on top of their dental hygiene all throughout the year. Many pediatric dentists offer toys or treats of their own when kids come in, so that is an extra little reward for them.
Give Your Child Plaque Tablets
Even if you can get your child to brush their teeth, it’s still no guarantee that they are doing it thoroughly. It’s good to get kids in the habit of paying attention to brushing everywhere are getting to the hard to reach areas. Plaque tablets are a fun way to do this. These are flavored chewable tablets that are meant to be taken after teeth have been brushed. After the child chews it and opens their mouth it reveals where plaque has been left. It usually turns it a funky color like pink or blue. Kids love it because it is fun for them to be able to change the color of their mouth and just do something different. Not only this, but it definitely increases the quality of the child’s tooth brushing habits. They start to get used to seeing certain spots they always miss and remembering to get to them. Plaque tablets are available from lots of online retailers and discount stores all over.
Having a child who hates brushing their teeth can be frustrating, but there are so many ways to get them interested in their oral health. By adopting a few of these tactics, you should be able to find success really quickly.