5 Ways to Make Brushing Teeth Fun For Kids

February is National Children's Dental Health Month. Learning good dental habits at a young age will set your kids up for a lifetime of positive habits and good oral health. It all starts with a brushing routine that kids enjoy rather than dread. Access Dental in Southern Missouri has 5 tips for you in today's blog that will help to make tooth brushing time fun.

Give Them Choices
Head to the store with your child and let them have a say in the items they will use to keep their teeth clean and healthy. Start by letting them choose a toothbrush in a favorite color or with a favorite character on the handle. To make the choice simpler and ensure that they pick a brush that is right for their mouth size, gather a few from the display for them to choose from.

Next, there are lots of toothpaste flavors to explore, and you can even let them decide what type of floss to buy. The same goes for these items as with the toothbrush. Let them choose from limited options that are right for their age. 

Read Books & Watch Videos
Get your children ready to take great care of their teeth by reading books together about the subject. You can also find some wonderful videos on YouTube that are geared toward kids. Most explain how to brush correctly to a fun tune. If you find one that is about 2 minutes long, this is the recommended length of time for brushing so they can brush until the tune is over.

Have Fun With It
Brushing your teeth is serious business, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun. Approach this "chore" in a fun way and your kids will look forward to it. Let them brush the teeth of a doll or stuffed animal before they brush their own. Put on a fun song and have a dance party while you both brush your teeth together. Play "dentist" after brushing and inspect each other's teeth. When you find a way to turn it into a game, you can both have a good time.

Race the Clock
Buy a timer to keep on the bathroom counter near your toothbrushes. Set it for two minutes, and rather than trying to beat the clock, see if you can brush until the timer dings, or maybe even outlast it! If your child has trouble brushing for a full 2 minutes, start out at one minute and gradually increase the time until lasting for 2 minutes seems easy.

Create a Reward System
Come up with a system of rewards that works for your child. For example, make a chart showing what they need to do each day and let them add a sticker or mark the space off every time a task is completed. Set a goal and once it's reached, have a reward waiting. This could be getting to stay up later than their regular bedtime, reading a story together, letting them pick out a movie, taking them to the park, or some other fun activity that you can do together. You could even start with a small reward at the end of week #1 and build up to bigger rewards for consecutive weeks of accomplishments.

The goal is to get your children into the healthy habit of taking good care of their teeth on a daily basis. If you can make it something they enjoy and actually look forward to, then it's a lot easier on the both of you. A good dental health routine should include:

• Brushing teeth at least 2 times a day.
• Flossing once a day, usually before bedtime. 
• Visiting the dentist every 6 months for an exam and professional cleaning. 

Our Southern Missouri dental clinics specialize in children's dentistry and do our best to make sure a young person's first visit to the dentist is a positive experience. It's easy to find an Access Dental & Dentures clinic near you. Give us a call at 1-877-DENTIST and we'll point you in the right direction. 

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile! 

1-877-DENTIST

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Connect with us on LinkedIn

Springfield Office          Rolla Office             Osage Beach Office

(417) 501-1048              (573) 426-5447          (573) 348-1466         

1701 West Sunshine        416 S. Bishop Ave.   4320 Osage Beach Pkwy

Springfield, MO 65807   Rolla, MO 65401      Osage Beach, MO. 65065

Mountain Grove Office              Aurora Office

(417) 926-1160                             (417) 308-3534

921-A N. Main                             1402 S. Elliott

Mountain Grove, MO 65711       Aurora, MO 65605