Special Feature: Exciting ways to teach your kids how to brush their teeth

If you’re having a hard time teaching your kids to maintain healthy dental hygiene, here are some fun techniques you can use to encourage your kids to brush their teeth properly.

Dealing with a child who refuses to brush her teeth can be stressful. A good tooth brushing regimen is important to help children combat tooth decay.

“Start them early,” Stephanie Hilado, DMD, Affinity Dental Clinics dental associate said.

According to dental hygienist Kim Czerwonka, it is vital to teach your kids to brush their teeth properly for good oral hygiene.

The following tips can make your children love brushing their teeth:

Start early 

Kids can get excited about brushing their teeth when they see that their parents are happy doing it. When the child is young, you are her biggest role model. Be a good role model for your child and brush your teeth in front of her every day.

“You can take them to the dentist as early as two and a half years old,” Erwin Mejia, DMD, Affinity Dental Clinics dental director said.

The problem about this issue, he says, is that a children’s first trip to the dentist usually involves a painful experience, usually a tooth extraction.

Mejia recommends children to be brought to the dentist for check-ups and cleaning so that they don’t associate trips to the dentist as a negative experience.

Make it fun!

You can brighten up the routine to make it more fun to do. You can sing a silly song while brushing your teeth.

Children like to hear fun stuff. Czerwonka recommends likening their brush strokes to train wheels. “Having kids think of the wheels of a choo-choo train helps them to brush correctly,” she says.

She also added that encouraging your kids to create lots of bubble would help your child to enjoy brushing. You could make a contest with your child like bubble-making contest. The winner would the one who made most bubbles.

Don’t let them get scared by toothpaste

Toothpaste is the biggest factor for some kids to avoid brushing their teeth. As much as possible, make it a habit for your kids to pick up their brush ever morning and evening, even if it means they brush without toothpaste. It’s not as effective, but you still achieve your main goal: teaching a new habit.

Be positive!

“Don’t make it as a punishment for them,” Hilado recommends. “Don’t ever do that,” she said, referring to scaring children to visit the dentist.

This would lead to scaring your kids to visit the dentist, instead of teaching them to love dentists.

“Always make sure that taking care of your teeth is a positive thing,” Hilado said.

Positive reinforcement could go a long way. If your child brushed her teeth regularly in a week, give her a reward. You can even give them a special snack or toy.

Remember, making your kids brush their teeth should not be a chore; make it something to look forward to. You can always spice things up with the tips mentioned above.