Have your children ever struggled with regularly brushing their teeth? Has this challenge made their visits to the dentists’ office a dreadful experience? If you continue to struggle with establishing healthy brushing habits for your children, you’re not alone. Luckily, there are methods that make fostering these habits both less painful for parents, and more successful for their children.
First and foremost, it’s always important to remember that every child will respond to a different method in their own way. Some methods may be more successful for children than others, and vice versa. With that said, be patient when attempting new strategies with your children. One of the most popular strategies for young children is incorporating entertainment elements into the brushing experience. This is done in a few ways. Most recently, there have been developments in the mobile apps that are designed to entertain children as they brush with music, videos, or even intractable games. Alternatively, some parents go the route of specialized toothbrushes. Whether that be a toothbrush with their child’s favorite superhero or cartoon character, or a toothbrush that plays a tune as children brush; most children adore these options.
For some families, neither of these options will cut it. Some children just need more interaction throughout the brushing process in order to remain motivated. One of the ways to encourage brushing if your children are like this are through more family-oriented tactics. An example of this could be making a nightly brushing tradition in the household. Children will take comfort in brushing alongside their parents and this will allow the parents to positively reinforce their children as they brush. This sort of influence will likely have a positive effect on children as they try to establish their own brushing habits. Remember to stay positive!
Perhaps the most critical advice for parents struggling with their children is to start instilling positive habits as early as possible. It’s a never-ending process, but the sooner you begin encouraging your children to brush, the more likely they’ll form a lifelong habit. Without any sort of established routine as children grow into young adults, the more likely they’ll continue to ignore brushing. The moment children feel confident in holding the brush, parents should begin instructing them on how to properly brush as this will have the largest impact.
All of these suggestions are meant to simplify the process of instilling positive brushing habits in their children, and thus reduce the dread of dentist visits for their children. If any of your children are continuing to struggle establishing these habits, consider reviewing the featured infographic below. Courtesy of Sycamore Hills Dentistry