Dentists: Approved Tips for Your Child
We all know what dentists recommend for optimal oral health, and as adults, we are responsible for our own mouths. But, how do you get your child to comply with dentist recommendations. While you are ultimately in charge of how well your child takes care of her teeth until she is old enough to both accept and pay for the repercussions herself, there are a few tricks to help your child adhere to guidelines.
To ensure that a child begins life with a good attitude toward oral hygiene,
begin regularly scheduled preventative care check-ups with the dentist as soon as possible. Some dentists recommend check-ups before the age of one, or as soon as the first tooth emerges. Additionally, most agree that a three year old should already be acquainted with the dentist, the staff, and the office, even if an official exam has not taken place. Most have no issues with taking their children into appointments with a regular doctor; why not make the same habit of dental appointments?
To encourage your child to brush long enough, consider a few of the following tactics. Invest in a novelty toothbrush that either lights up or plays music for a predetermined two minutes. A brusher must brush for the duration of the light show or of the song to adequately clean teeth. For older kids, tweens perhaps, an electronic brush that spins or vibrates is a mature step up from character toothbrushes. While there is no evidence that these devices clean better or prevent cavities better than regular brushing, they do seem to keep kids brushing longer than they generally do with manual brushes.
A cool technique that is sure to keep a kid at their oral hygiene routine for an ample amount of time is to download a few of his favorite tunes to his mp3 player. Designate one or two of the tunes as two-minute tunes and request that they brush their teeth from the beginning of the particular song to the end of the song. Most songs fall into the recommended time range for brushing, so it would also suffice, especially for older kids, to suggest brushing for the duration of any song of their choice.
Flossing is also key for the best oral health, but it is one of the hardest things for even adults to do routinely. Consider using the previously mention mp3 technique with the addition of another minute of tune time. Brushing and flossing together should last for the duration of three minutes, so a nice three-minute montage of a few favorite hit choruses should convince a kid to keep at the task long enough.
February is deemed dental health awareness month, and participating in your community or school’s activities at this time of the year can also provide good motivation. Learning about cavities and the dental chair drama that can accompany them is enough encouragement for some kids to keep their teeth and mouth in tiptop shape.
