Want to make brushing and good oral health fun for your children? Read our handy tips below to make sure they are having fun and establishing lifelong habits. Good oral health is so important for young children for building the foundations for optimal oral health and vitality.
Introduce their favourite characters to teeth time!
Did you know that you can get toothbrushes and toothpaste that feature characters from Peppa Pig, Cars, Mickey Mouse and Friends, Minions, Batman, Frozen, Stars Wars, The Lion King on the packaging and toothbrush?
Including their favourite characters could make it more fun for them – you can usually pick these toothbrushes and toothpaste up from Coles or Woolworths.
The tooth fairy pays more for better teeth!
Did you know that the tooth fairy pays more for teeth that are clean and free of cavities? This might help incentivise your child to brush regularly and take care of their teeth over a longer period.
Let them know they are doing a good job!
If they are doing a good job, let them know! Reward them if they can do it over a week – with a reward that doesn’t include sugar. It may be for some children – a sticker on a chart, or choosing the bedtime story. Create a reason for them to take care of their teeth.
Do they understand?
If you asked your child what foods and drinks are good and bad for their teeth, what would they say? Having early talks about oral health and what habits you are forming now could do for them may help them understand why they are doing this! Is your child in preschool? We offer free education sessions to preschool – talk to your preschool today so we can come and educate them on oral health tips. Contact us today on 4970 5400 to arrange a visit.
Make sure they brush for two minutes!
Two minutes is a long time for kids – make a game out of how long they brush for! Let them listen to a song for two minutes or use the Brush DJ app – it gives the kids two minutes songs to brush to and flashes colors on the screen – making it a dance party!
Make it a part of their day!
Kids respond to routine – make sure that brushing their teeth is part of the day – like going to school or eating dinner! Make it their responsibility to brush morning and night – after a while, it’ll be as natural as going to school or eating dinner!
Bonnells Bay Dental can help!
We here at Bonnells Bay Dental can help you make sure that your children’s oral health is up to the highest standards – with our lovely staff who will help you and your child keep calm and make the dental experience fun.
We can even help you see if you qualify for the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule – which could see you claim up to $1000 over two years for services such as fillings, root canal extractions, partial dentures, examinations, x-rays, cleanings and fissure cleanings.
Call us today to see how we can help you!
References:
https://www.ada.org.au/Your-Dental-Health/Children-0-11/Kids
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/oralhealth/prevention/Pages/resources-children-0-5.aspx