By Hugo Elliot
Introduction
According to Iqaluit Dental Clinic, your child doesn’t know how to brush his or her own teeth and doesn’t care about it either. He or she is more concerned about chewing squishy toys, colourful food, funny noises and more such kid things. That’s why you need to use the following tips to teach your child to care about their teeth.
Tips & Tricks
- Demonstrate the right brushing technique – The best way to teach kids about oral hygiene is to demonstrate it yourself. Kids mimic their parents subconsciously from a young age. Get your kid to the bathroom, stand in front of the mirror, make them hold a brush and encourage them to follow you by demonstrating the right brushing technique.
You may need to brush up on your own brushing technique so that your kid picks up the technique accurately. Hold the toothbrush against your gum line at a 45-degree angle, and brush the outer, chewing and inner surfaces with consistent circular motions. Brush your teeth for two minutes and then proceed to brush your tongue from the back to the front. Otherwise, you can get electric toothbrushes that make the routine a lot easier, especially for kids.
- Choose an enticing toothbrush and toothpaste – Even adults don’t like to use regular toothbrushes or toothpaste anymore. From fancy electric toothbrushes to bamboo-infused bristles and mint-flavoured everything. For children, the selection of toothbrushes and toothpaste is even more important since they are tools that make oral care more fun and inviting for your child.
Choose a child-sized toothbrush with soft bristles that won’t hurt your child’s gums and remove plaque effectively. Choose a toothbrush that comes with fun themes with your kid’s favourite Disney or Marvel character. Similarly, you need to choose an effective toothpaste that comes in enticing flavours.
Even when you teach your kids to rinse and clean, they may end up swallowing the paste at the beginning. You can use fluoride-free training toothpaste for that. After your child gets used to it, you can use bubble gum, strawberry, watermelon or other flavorful toothpaste that are fluoride-based.
- Make a fantasy story about teeth, gums and plaque – Explain to your child how plaque forms on the teeth and how it can lead to gum diseases and cavities in their teeth. You need to keep it fun and make a fantasy story out of it where the plaque and germs are monsters and good oral care techniques are knights in shining armour, good wizards or kind elves. You can also create a reward programme where you reward your child when he or she reaches oral care milestones.
Conclusion
Iqaluit Dental Clinic suggests that you use the above-mentioned tips to teach your kids to care for their teeth from a young age. You need to be persistent so that they develop their oral care routine and make it a habit that needs to be done every day. As they grow older, this becomes more important as their baby teeth fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth.
