Your child has reached the age that he or she can begin brushing his or her teeth without assistance. But let’s face it—getting your child to brush his or her teeth can be like (pardon the expression) pulling teeth. So how do you get your child excited about dental hygiene? How do you convince them that caring for their pearly whites can be fun?
Make It a Family Event
One way to make morning and nighttime brushing fun is to do it together. Make it a family event! Aside from making dental hygiene fun, this can help you to teach your child how to brush properly. Children tend to copy what their parents do. Show them excellent technique for cleaning their teethers.
Let Your Child Choose
Your child may be more excited about brushing his or her teeth if they take part in choosing their toothbrush or toothpaste. Many children’s toothbrushes and toothpastes come in fun colors or have a fun cartoon character on them. In addition, children’s toothpastes come in fun flavors like watermelon or cherry. Your child may be excited to brush with their new, special toothbrush and toothpaste!
Two Minutes of Fun
It is important that you teach your child to brush his or her teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day. There are several ways that you can make this two minutes fun! Keep track of time in a fun way, like using a two-minute sand timer. Another thing you can try is having a two-minute dance party. Play a song that is about two minutes long while your child brushes their teeth and dance along. Yet another idea is making up a silly song or rhyme or song for teeth-cleaning time. Trying to recite or sing this with a toothbrush in your mouth will make it sound that much the sillier!
We invite you to contact Cardwell Family Dentistry at 828-631-3567 today for more tips and to schedule your or your child’s next reservation with our dentist in Sylva, North Carolina. Dr. Laurin Cardwell and our team are so excited to get to know you and your family!