Children’s dental health is important. Parents need to start teaching healthy habits to their children from an early age. If a child is raised in a health-conscious environment and learns to pay attention to things like a balanced diet and exercise, there’s a better chance that they’ll keep up a healthy lifestyle long after they leave home.
It is especially important to consider dental hygiene. Brushing and flossing are habits that, when learned in childhood, will serve a person well throughout their entire lives. However, getting a little one to be enthusiastic about mouth care is easier said than done! Here are just a few of the ways you can get your child to start looking after their teeth.
Start Early
Tooth brushing should start very early on in a person’s life. From the age of one or two, you should brush your child’s teeth with water at least twice a day. For the best and most comfortable results, use a soft, child-sized toothbrush.
A Fun Toothbrush
Most tooth brushes designed for adults are pretty boring to look at, but there’s a huge range of exciting options available for kids. With a colourful, musical or themed toothbrush, your child will be much more likely to brush twice a day, and brush for longer, too.
Bring your child along to the supermarket with you and let them choose a toothbrush that they can be passionate about. That way, they’ll be more invested in the experience, and more likely to want to brush.
A Rewarding Schedule
It can be exhausting having to remind your children to brush their teeth every night and building up to a point where they’ll just do it themselves takes time and effort. To get there faster, start up a schedule and dole out rewards for good behaviour. For example, you could put up a chart on the bathroom door and award a gold star for every night that your child brushes their teeth without being asked. Then, you can offer a reward for ten consecutive gold star efforts. Get creative and have some fun with it! Your progeny might become so enthusiastic that they want to become a child dentist.
Regular Flossing
We all know that you should floss at least once a day, but not nearly enough people actually do it. Make flossing easier for your children by purchasing a softer dental floss that won’t be painful for your child’s developing mouth and gums. With cleaner teeth, when they get their check-up, kids’ dentist appointments will be far more enjoyable.
Contact Ipswich Family Dental Today
At Ipswich Family Dental clinic, we provide comprehensive and complete dental treatment for all members of the family. We’re an especially great dentist for kids. We see customers in a relaxed, friendly and professional environment, and are constantly improving our skills with ongoing education and improved technology. Book an appointment online, or call on (07) 3281 1781.
