Beyond the Tooth Fairy!
Ideas for making dental care a fun, easy experience for your kids!
Getting kids started on the path to great dental health doesn’t have to be a fight.
It can be hard to convince fussy children to brush and take good care of their teeth, but it is so important to their dental health and it’s definitely worth the effort. We have some fun tips and ideas to get your kids started on their life-long journey towards good dental health.
- Start Early – One of the most important things you can do for your children is to start them on a dental health routine early. You should start gently brushing their teeth when your children are babies, just soon as their teeth start to come in. Once they are able, you can get them excited about brushing for themselves. When they are ready to start brushing, it may help for you to brush your own teeth alongside them. They will learn by example and you will enjoy the great bonding time with your kids.
- Make up Games – While you are brushing together, it can be fun to make up a game. Copycat games work well: first you brush your teeth in a circular motion, then they brush in a circular motion. Then you try brushing your teeth to get a big mouthful of bubbles, and then smile wide and let the bubbles run down your chin and into the sink. Then it’s their turn! It might get a little messy, but remember it’s easy to clean up and it’s even more important to make brushing your teeth fun! As they get more teeth, they can begin flossing. We recommend this begin as soon as they have teeth that are touching side by side. Our office will provide you with fun dinosaur floss aides and even a happy tooth two-minute timer to tell them how long to brush!
- Start a Reward System – Kids love getting rewards. It makes them excited about the activity and helps them look forward to something they might usually see as unpleasant or a chore. The rewards should be simple: a chart with stickers is a great way to reward them. There are many websites where you can find pre-made charts, or you can create your own. Your children will be excited every time they get a sticker and will even want to show off how well they are brushing!
The most important thing you can do is tell your children how proud you are of them for taking great care of their teeth. The more encouragement you can give them, the better. Seeing a dentist regularly is an incredibly important part of keeping your child’s mouth healthy and we like to reward your kids too! They will always leave with a goody bag and will receive lots of encouragement and praise from our end. We will even enter your child for a chance to win a big prize in one of our regular office drawings when they have a cavity-free visit! In the end, it’s important for kids to develop habits that will keep their teeth healthy and their smiles beautiful for a lifetime.
Visit us at the office of Dr. Stanislav in Clarksville, so we can get your child (and you!) scheduled for a routine visit. Contact us today at 931-648-0232.