Smile is a universal language that opens numerous doors and opportunities, but that isn’t the only reason you should teach your kids to care for their teeth and mouth. Poor oral health can lead to gum disease, which increases the risk of serious health issues, such as stroke, heart attack, and others. Developing a responsible approach toward dental hygiene in kids is very possible, especially if it is done with encouragement, support, motivation, and caring advice. If you want to teach your little ones to care for their oral health and to keep that great habit throughout their lifetime, here are some tips to help you with that.
Start Early
You don’t start constructing a house from the attic, you need to begin from the foundations. Yes, even toddlers should be taught to brush their teeth by themselves. Sure, you should be around to help, advise, and cheer, but they need to see teeth brushing as something they routinely do. Before you leave this important duty in the safe hands of your little ones, you should begin caring for their oral hygiene the first few days after their birth. Just be careful about the choice and amount of toothpaste.
Give a Good Example
Children learn things by observing other people, especially their parents. If your kids see you avoiding your dentist appointments or brushing and flossing lightly and superficially, they will act the same way. Show them they should do it better by doing it better. Make sure they get the chance to see you caring for your teeth and try to emphasize how important and worthwhile that is by making comments like “Wow, it feels great when my teeth are clean. I love brushing.”
Make It Fun
Besides imitating, the best way kids adopt new knowledge is through playing. Brushing and flossing don’t have to be annoying chores. By making learning about dental care fun, you are helping kids develop a positive attitude towards it. There are plenty of activities and games that can help you with that. You can, for instance, make natural toothpaste with your kids, paint some eggs and give them to kids to brush, string cardboard shaped like teeth into a necklace, write a letter to the Tooth Fairy, etc. There are even smartphone apps and kids’ songs that can be useful.
Keep Regular Dentist Visits
Dentists are the modern-day boogiemen, and many parents often use them to scare their kids, but the “punishment and reward” system should never be used when it comes to dentists. They are essential for children’s health, but trying to explain that to a scared kid while a stranger is poking cold and metallic instruments in her mouth, can prove to be quite useless. Instead, start early with dental visits, even though there are no emergencies, to create trust. Avoid using words like “pain” and “hurt”, and use positive phrases instead (healthy, clean, strong teeth) to make the visits less alarming. Putting on braces can be a traumatic experience for kids, especially for teenagers who are very concerned about their looks, so if you live in Australia, consider visiting an orthodontist in Central Coast, which can provide braces that are removable and perfectly comfortable to wear.
Teach Them to Love Healthy Food
Last but not least, kids’ diet has a major influence on their oral health, and they need to realize this. Depending on their age, you can do that by playing happy tooth-sad tooth (cutting out pictures of food from magazines and books and drawing happy/sad teeth on the food that is good/bad for them) or talking about how certain food is harming their teeth, while other makes them stronger.
Proper dental care is something that will follow your kids throughout their lives. If you set the foundations early on, you can ensure a healthier life for them, a goal every parent strives for.
