Getting your young children to brush and floss is like… well, it’s like pulling teeth, if we’re being perfectly honest. Every parent out there has experienced some kind of pushback when trying to teach and enforce proper dental care habits. Kids simply can’t understand how important brushing and flossing truly is, so they’ll do everything within their power to get it over with as soon as possible. They may even attempt to trick you into thinking they’ve brushed their teeth thoroughly, when they may not have brushed or flossed at all.
If you want a young child’s teeth to stay in good shape, you’ll have to take the bull by the horns and devise a plan to help them along. Here are some quick strategies that we would recommend:
Make Brushing and Flossing Fun
Most young kids don’t like to do anything that they perceive as work. They’ll play video games, watch TV, create Lego monstrosities, and read books until the cows come home, but things like showering, cleaning up, and brushing their teeth aren’t exactly things that make them jump for joy. To counteract this fact, you need to find ways to make brushing and flossing fun for them. Try making up an adventure story of how Super Brush and Wonder Floss are on a mission to defeat the evil Plaque Army. Another strategy is to use a catchy song where they can happily brush and floss along with the tune. Or make it into a counting exercise in the number of brush strokes. The point is, be creative!
Encourage Proper Technique
It can’t be all fun and games, so it’s important that you focus on helping your young children understand proper brushing and flossing techniques. Little kids all want to be seen as older. They emulate their parents pretty much as soon as they’re born. Keep this up in the bathroom by explaining that Mommy and/or Daddy have healthy teeth because of proper brushing and flossing. Then show them your teeth. This will help spark their interest and increase the likelihood that they’ll do a good job.
Give Your Bathroom a Theme
A pleasant atmosphere is often necessary for a child’s happiness and willingness to learn. Ask your child what kind of theme he or she would like, and then model the bathroom in that theme so that they’re more likely to see the bathroom — and perhaps even all the tasks they must perform in there — as a good place to be. The obvious choices are things like SpongeBob Squarepants, superheroes, or something similar. But you could also go for a different kind of theme. For example, one parent who was part of a “movie family” and was having trouble getting their son to brush turned the bathroom into a Jaws theme, complete with a Jaws poster, shark shower curtain, and beach-style toothbrush holder. While Jaws may be too mature for some kids, the point is to make the bathroom their own.
Post a Daily Flossing Chart
As hard as teaching a kid to brush can be, flossing is sometimes in a realm all its own because — let’s face it — flossing is boring and annoying. It’s often a chore for many adults, so just imagine what a kid thinks about it. You can fight this by creating a flossing reward chart. The chart doesn’t have to be too fancy; it just needs to get the job done. Even a printed calendar and a flashy title will do the trick. Then, pick up some stickers and each time they floss, give them one to stick on the chart. At the end of the week, if they’ve flossed each day, reward them with something small. And for a full month, they get something bigger!
Proper dental care is essential for every person, child and adult alike. The office of Dr. Bruce McArthur, DDS understands this, which is why he and his staff are dedicated to giving you the very best treatment every step of the way. If you’d like to set up an appointment or ask any questions about dental health, contact his office right away!