Trying to encourage a young child to brush their teeth can be a nightmare. How to teach your kids to practice good oral hygiene?
While children are very active and like to try new things, they do not have much interest in brushing their teeth. As a parent, it is your responsibility to do whatever is necessary to encourage your children to practice good oral hygiene.
Now, this will not be easy, but if you are creative you will see progress and the dentist will not see any cavities at the child’s next dental checkup.
Listed below are several tips that will help get you started.
1. Be Selective
Every child has a favorite cartoon or video game character that they just adore. As you well know, you can pretty much entice your child to do anything, if you offer them a new toy with the character displayed on it.
With this said, you can incorporate this technique into getting your child to practice good oral hygiene. Invest in a toothbrush that has the child’s favorite character displayed on it.
Today, there are a wide variety of toothbrush manufacturers that partner with toy companies to offer such products to consumers. So, you will not have any issues finding a toothbrush specifically designed for your child.
2. Brush To Their Favorite Song
Brushing teeth can be a time-consuming practice, but there are ways to make it more fun for your children. To encourage your child to spend the necessary time brushing their teeth, you should consider turning on their favorite song during the process.
The child will be able to dance around while brushing their teeth while the song is playing. Over time, the child will begin to look for to brushing their teeth.
3. Finding A Reward
Another thing to remember is that children absolutely love being rewarded. They want to know that they’re doing something right. Rewarding them after they’ve brushed their teeth is a great idea.
By rewarding them, you’ll be able to let the child know that they’ve done the right thing and this will eventually help to establish a habitual routine. Just remember that you’ll need to choose a reward that suits your lifestyle and budget.
Avoid giving your child food or candy, since this will only harm their teeth and gums. Praise them and give them encouragement. For most, this will be sufficient. Of course, you can throw in a little knickknack every so often for good measure.
4. Make It A Habit
Children tend to replicate their parent’s behavior. If the parent does not practice good oral hygiene, the child will not want to either. As the old saying goes “practice what you preach,” you should brush your teeth as recommended by dentists, so your child will want to practice the same habits.
Brush your teeth, utilize mouthwash and floss regularly. The child will catch on very quickly. If you need dental implants, you should not hesitate to visit a licensed dentist in your area.
5. Let Them Be In Control
Many parents can easily be classified as helicopter parents. They like to linger over their children and remain in control of every decision. This is something that you should avoid. Your child needs to learn how to brush his or her own teeth! You’re not always going to be there to do it for them.
With this in mind, you should put the toothbrush in the child’s hand and let them have at it. Just make sure that they brush their teeth good enough. Remember that practice makes perfect. They’ll master the art of brushing their teeth before you know it.
6. Be Consistent
Your children are never going to develop a habit unless you consistently teach them to brush their teeth. Consistency is enormously important.
Make sure that you go above and beyond to tell your child to brush his or her teeth each and every day and night. Repetition will pay off dividends in the long run.
7. Practice What You Preach
It is vital to realize that children will always attempt to emulate their parents. With this in mind, you should always practice what you preach. Brush your teeth in front of your children.
By doing so, you will encourage them to do the same. They’ll emulate you and they’ll develop good oral hygiene as well!
Watch the above video with your kids, I’m sure they are going to love it:
Original article and pictures take www.lifeadvancer.com site
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