Making sure your children effectively brush their teeth two times a day is crucial to ensure their future oral health. Bad habits are difficult to break, so follow this guide to ensure that your child takes care of their teeth as well as possible.
Start Early
You should really start attending to a child's teeth as soon as the first one comes in. Use a clean, damp cloth to rub around the gums, and then switch to a small toothbrush with soft bristles once more start coming through, remembering to use only a pea-sized amount of non-fluoride toothpaste.
This is the first step in teaching your child to brush their teeth regularly. Starting as soon as possible makes it a natural part of their day, not something unpleasant which they can avoid.
Do it Together
Your child will be ready to start brushing their own teeth at around age six. You'll obviously want to tell them the basics: don't swallow the toothpaste, hold your brush at an angle, spend around two minutes brushing, and so on. The best way to ensure that those lessons stay taught is to brush your teeth together with your child.
If they're doing something wrong, you can demonstrate the correct technique. Just avoid making it sound like your faulting them. Instead, remind them that this is all part of being an adult; it'll make them feel all grown up.
Make it Fun
Of course, added responsibility is really just a novelty. Soon enough your child will view doing their teeth as just another boring job. Stop this from happening by making the process as fun as possible.
Your kid probably has a favourite movie or TV character, and it's more than likely that there's a toothbrush themed around them. You can also pick up some more attractively flavoured toothpaste; just make sure that your child knows that tastier doesn't mean safe to swallow.
You can even make brushing more enjoyable by making it a game. You could tell them that they are 'attacking the plaque invaders'. Kids understand this more easily than the proper medical terms.
Consider Plaque Disclosing Tablets
If you're still worried that your child isn't doing their teeth properly each day, you might want to buy some plaque disclosing tablets. These are chewed up with water after brushing, and will show the areas that aren't being dealt with. If your child is getting sloppy when it comes to tooth care, you'll know about it—and they'll know they can't hide it from you.
Instilling a proper brushing routine early on will help your child's teeth remain healthy throughout their whole life, so making sure you take care of it is absolutely vital. For more tips, contact resources like Collins Dental Image.
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