Blog Post

Figuring out how to teach a child to practice good oral hygiene can be tough, especially if your little one is resistant. Good oral hygiene is so important for children to help prevent future dental issues, such as cavities, infection, pain, and overcrowding due to tooth loss. To help you establish good oral hygiene, read some of our tips below.

Teaching your child the importance of practicing quality and careful good oral hygiene from a young age is an essential and solid investment in their long-term oral health. This will pay off for an entire lifetime, and will ensure that your child knows how to properly look after and keep their teeth healthy, as well as have an impact on other aspects of their health. Since bad oral hygiene can lead to a multitude of other health issues, teaching your children how to care well for their teeth can prevent other health problems from rising up. We’ve put together some great tips for teaching your kids good oral hygiene.

Set an Example

If as parents you rarely ever brush or floss your teeth, how can you expect your kids to do so? Children follow the examples that are set to them by their parents, and if you don’t practice good oral hygiene, they will soon start to think that it’s not something important. In order to ensure that your child fully understands the importance of looking after their teeth, you should let them see that you take oral hygiene seriously. This could include letting them brush their teeth with you in the bathroom, taking them on visits to family dental appointments, and letting them ask the dentist questions.

Make it Fun

Kids love having fun, and if you make the ritual of brushing and flossing teeth like a game to them, they’ll begin to enjoy it and want to do it more often. Children’s toothbrushes are often designed in the theme of favorite television characters that kids can relate to, so getting your little girl a toothbrush with her favorite Hello Kitty character on it, for example, is going to appeal to her more than a plain old toothbrush like everybody else’s. When it comes to toothpaste, a lot of kids don’t like the minty flavor. Thankfully, you can buy a range of toothpastes in funky flavors that are designed to look after your child’s teeth just as well.

Schedule Regular Dentist Trips

Scheduling regular trips to a dentist to have a check-up for both you and your child is a good way to ensure that they understand the importance of oral hygiene. The dentist will be able to give you and your children advice on how to properly clean and floss your teeth, and family dentists are usually used to working with kids and can give advice in such a way that it’s exciting for the child to listen to. Not only that, but having a regular check-up can also see if there’s anything wrong and determine whether or not there’s anything that your child should improve on whilst brushing. A regular trip to the dentist can intrigue your kids as they learn more about good brushing and flossing techniques – and not to forget the needed sticker for being good.

A beautiful smile requires care, planning, and artistry. Here at Peter Abas, DDS, our team will help prevent any early dental problems in your family. Schedule an appointment today at (949) 586-1127 and join us online on Facebook. If your whole family needs to be seen, not a problem — we will schedule your appointments so it is convenient for you with one trip!

Reference: [https://247moms.com/2015/12/how-to-teach-your-children-the-importance-of-good-dental-hygiene/]