Have your children recently developed cavities and you’re looking for ways to help them improve their oral hygiene? Are you just eager to help your kids stay on the right track with their oral health? There are many ways to help your children improve their oral hygiene routines; these are our favorite tips!
Do you need a children’s dentist, Duncan OK? Call Chisholm Trail Smile Center for an appointment with Dr. Matthew Bridges. Call us at 580-255-4880 for an appointment.
Give Kids the Tools for Success
Kids love to pick out their own stuff. Décor, toys, clothes—most children love to have their own preferences honored. Oral health tools are no different. Letting your child pick out his own toothpaste, toothbrush, flossing tools, rinse, etc., is a great way to make oral health more important in your child’s life. If your child needs a lot of monitoring, go on a special trip to the oral hygiene aisle at the store and let him pick out his own oral hygiene tools. You may be surprised to see what a difference it makes.
Many parents go beyond the basics, and provide their children with a kitchen timer, for example, to help children do a good job. Both kids and adults should brush their teeth for at least two minutes each time, so a timer can help children make sure they are brushing thoroughly, every time.
Encourage Ownership
Kids love to take ownership of their own care. If you’ve ever heard “I want to do it myself,” you know how much it means to be able to do important things independently. You can encourage your little and big children to take their oral health into their own hands by talking about their oral hygiene routine and asking them how they make sure they do a good job.
A lot of times, children (and adults) get so set in their oral hygiene routine that it becomes automatic. You do a better job when you take the time to brush each tooth individually and intentionally mix up that routine. Talking about this is a great way to help them value their oral hygiene and take things into their own hands.
Share and Model the Experience
Parents often do a good job of showing their children how to brush their teeth when they are toddlers—but we often trust them to do it themselves as they get older. If it’s been a few years since you’ve co-brushed with your child, take the time to brush together every once in a while. Watching each other in the mirror, play “follow the leader” so your child has to copy your movements as you brush and floss your teeth.
Conduct a Random Weekly Audit
It can be hard to monitor your children’s oral hygiene routine in a busy household. If you can’t be there to watch your child brush his/her teeth every day, make a point to conduct an “audit” at least once a week. It’s easy: when you tuck your child in or kiss him goodnight, scratch your fingernail against a tooth, starting at the gum line and moving vertically as you scratch. If you wind up with a big glob of white goo (plaque) on your fingernail, that’s not a good sign. Tell you child that if you find plaque, they have to brush their teeth again. Most kids don’t want to get out of bed to brush their teeth again, so they will be more motivated to do a thorough job every night.
Bring Your Child to Six-Month Visits and Incentivize Good Results
It takes a lot of weight off of a parent’s shoulders when you let your dentist and hygienist do their jobs. When you bring your child in for regular oral health check-ups, you reduce the likelihood of your child getting cavities. You also make it possible to catch bad habits before they cause problems. At each visit we clean the teeth of calcified plaque, and can let you and your child know if there’s one part of the mouth they have been neglecting, for example.
Many parents incentivize good results at the dentist. Taking your child for a special treat, ice cream for example, can help him or her feel proud of their good oral hygiene. Just be sure to brush your teeth afterwards!
Do you need a children’s dentist, Duncan OK? Call Chisholm Trail Smile Center for an appointment with Dr. Matthew Bridges. Call us at 580-255-4880 for an appointment.
