Our Pediatric Dental Office in Los Angeles Reviews Tips for Brushing Habits

Having your children develop brushing habits can be a daunting task but very rewarding for his or her health. In some media reports, one in eight children aged three suffers from dental caries or cavities – that stat alone should encourage you to create those healthy brushing habits.

At our Los Angeles Pediatric Dental Practice we communicate these 5 tips

1. Kids Love To Imitate – Have Them Imitate Your Good Hygiene!
Children love to imitate what other people do, which makes leading by example a great way to cultivate great habits that last a lifetime. Preparing a routine so you can brush your teeth together twice a day, where you show them how you regularly brush to lean those hard to reach areas.

2. Kids Love Music – Play their favorite brushing song
Your children should enjoy brushing their teeth if there is a catchy song playing in the background – pick a song they currently love! Music is a fantastic way to motivate kids to do something.

3. Games! How About A timed game
Use a s kitchen timer to play a racing game with your child. Set the timer to two minutes and challenge your kid to finish brushing at the same time as the countdown.

4. Does Your Child Have A Superhero
Create a superhero brushing costume! Something to excite them that motivates him/her to brush their teeth as their “only weapon in the fight against evil germs” to save their precious crowns. Also, something as simple as buying a toothbrush with your son or daughter’s most favorite cartoon/movie character or super hero to give them a fighting partner can enhance this feeling.

5. Rewards! Create A reward system
You can also create a smiley/sticker chart or if you’re modern – use an app that collects points each time your child completes the task of brushing their teeth, with an award once they reach a certain point. You could arrange the rewards such that he/she gets an incentive.

Start Oral Hygiene Habits Early

It is recommended that parents start brushing their kids’ teeth twice a day immediately the first milk tooth emerges, which is at the age of 6 months. Encourage them to brush for around 2 minutes, and supervise them till the age of seven or eight. It will be a great family experience to build healthy habits.