As an adult, you understand the importance of brushing teeth, flossing, and going to the dentist. However, it may take your little one a while to come to that realization.
Instead of forcing them into better oral hygiene, ease them into it. One of the best ways to do so is by turning it into a game. Take a look at these tips below to learn how to make brushing teeth enjoyable for your kids.
1. Play a Song While Brushing Teeth With Kids
As you may know, kids have short attention spans. Besides convincing them to brush, the objective is to show them how long you should brush your teeth. One of the best ways to do this is by playing a song while teaching them about oral care.
Find some tunes that they’ll enjoy, and dare them to brush during the entire song. It’s even okay to dance a little.
2. Bubble Making Contests
Brush your teeth with your child. It allows them to see how to brush your teeth properly as an adult. To make it enjoyable, turn it into a competition. Try to see which one of you can make the foamiest bubbles.
A contest is a fun way to get them to fully engage in brushing and not just swallow the toothpaste.
3. Choose a Tasty Toothpaste
Another way to make brushing teeth more exciting for children is by buying them a tasty toothpaste. Your kid might not care for the standard mint flavor. However, a fruit or bubble gum taste might make them more interested in brushing.
4. Give a Reward
You might not think to reward your child for something they should do is effective, but it works. Giving them a prize each week for brushing their teeth is a motivator. It can be something simple like ice cream or a five dollar bill.
If they know they’ll get something at the end of the week, the less you’ll hear them say, “Do I have to brush my teeth”? After a while, you won’t have to give them prizes. As they grow older, it’ll become second nature to them.
5. Display Their Accomplishments
There are other ways to reward your child for brushing their teeth without giving them a gift. Add a calendar in the bathroom and have them put a sticker on the board each time they brush. Create a sense of pride around oral care and make them feel good about it.
6. Buy Them a Decorative Toothbrush
A fun, toy-like toothbrush makes brushing teeth more alluring to children. If you find one that’s similar to a doll or their favorite cartoon character, they’ll love it. Sometimes, you have to be creative when persuading kids to do responsible chores.
7. Enlist the Tooth Fairy
If you’re still persuading your child to brush, they’re probably at the age when they’re losing teeth. This is the perfect time to introduce them to the tooth fairy.
Tell them how the fairy comes and put money under kids’ pillows when they lose a tooth. However, she only brings money to boys and girls with clean, well-brushed teeth.
8. Show Them the Importance of Brushing
Believe it or not, there are lots of animated videos on Youtube that detail the importance of brushing teeth. Showing your child a light-hearted cartoon about oral care is a great way to jumpstart the recommendations above.
If you can’t explain it to them yourself, it’s okay to get a little help from the animated world.
9. Capture the Germies
Let your kid know that brushing is the best way to get the “germies” out of their mouth. Challenge your child to brush thoroughly so they can destroy all of the bad bacteria.
Presenting oral hygiene to them in this manner is a surefire way to get them excited about brushing in the morning.
10. Create a Story About Brushing
This last tip takes a bit of creativity, but it’s effective. Spark your child’s imagination by telling them a fairytale about the toothbrush and the toothpaste.
Put a twist in the story by adding in the adventures of “Mr. Floss”. You get the picture.
Why Oral Care Is Important for Kids
When you’re rushing to leave the house in the morning, it’s easy to put your child’s oral care on the back burner. Taking the time to go through these brushing activities with them is essential.
As trivial as these games might seem, your child will remember them, and the lessons they learn will stick with them through adulthood. Kids are prone to getting the same oral diseases as adults. Many of them get cavities at a young age.
Even though children’s teeth fall out, cavities can still have a long-lasting effect on their oral health after the baby teeth are gone.
Not to mention, it’s important to take care of their gum health while they’re little. The oral hygiene they start as a kid sets the foundation for the health of their teeth later in life.
Brushing Teeth Games Your Kids Will Love
Convincing your kid to have good oral hygiene is no easy feat. But hopefully, these brushing teeth games will help with that. Sometimes you have to speak a child’s “language” to get them to understand the importance of things.
With that in mind, if you’re searching for child dental services, look no further. Our team of experts has a long history of pediatric dentistry. We offer a variety of services from preventative care to zirconia crowns.
Kids Stop Dental is located in Fort Worth, Texas, and the office number is 817-546-3335.
For your convenience, you can schedule an appointment online at any time! We can’t wait to brighten your child’s smile!