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Roughly 1 in 5 children have an untreated decayed tooth. This can lead to painful gum infections and more. For this reason and more, teaching children good oral health habits is essential. However, when it comes to brushing teeth, children tend not to be so compliant.

In this article, we offer our top teeth brushing tips to make dental care fun for children. Instead of a chore, you can make tooth brushing a fun activity. Continue reading to find out how to get your kids to enjoy brushing their teeth.

Get Started Early

One of our top teeth brushing tips is to get children started with good dental care habits as early as possible. For a lot of parents, this is something they do naturally, but it’s important to be as intentional about it as possible.

The earlier they start on tooth brushing, the better their teeth will be if they stick with good habits. It also develops into a natural habit instead of a chore to be questioned.

Set a Good Example

Children like to mimic adults, especially their parents, when they’re little. Setting a good example for your children is one of the easiest ways to ensure good tooth brushing habits. Plus, it’s beneficial to your own oral health.

Consider making brushing teeth a family event and have everyone brush their teeth at the same time. When children see that everyone needs to do it, they are less likely to question it and just follow suit.

Stick to a Schedule

Children thrive when they have a set schedule they can depend on. This applies to everything from bedtime to mealtime to tooth brushing. Setting a schedule helps them to know what exactly is expected of them.

When setting a schedule for brushing teeth, it’s essential to stick with the schedule. If you tell your child their teeth brushing time is 7pm, do your best to avoid letting the time pass to 7:30pm or 8pm. This gives children the impression that rules are flexible.

Give Tooth Brushing a Story

While education may not be very exciting for children, it’s important that they understand why it’s so important. That being said, education doesn’t have to be boring at all. The key is to get creative with a fun story.

The possibilities of building a fun toothbrushing story are endless and just depend on your child. Try tailoring the story to something they like, such as likening plaque to a supervillain and their toothbrush and toothpaste as the superhero and sidekick.

Offer Them More Role Models

Giving your children more role models to look up to can be helpful when trying to instill good oral health habits. With children’s shows and movies attempting to emphasize healthy lifestyles, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

When they see their favorite characters, friends, or family members talking about the importance of good dental care, it further solidifies it as an important habit. It can also make them proud to do what their role model does.

Let Them Choose Their Products

Branding for children’s products is effective at catching their interest, and children’s toothbrushing supplies are no exception. Letting them pick out their own products offers a chance for a fun bonding activity.

Plus, it’s also a great way to get them excited about brushing their teeth. They’ll be so excited to use their new toothbrush and toothpaste with their favorite cartoon character that you may not even have to ask them to use them.

Set Brushing Teeth to Music

Another one of our favorite teeth brushing tips involves music. If your children enjoy music, consider employing it as part of their routine. You can get creative with how you employ it as long as it creates a fun atmosphere.

Consider playing a song to announce when it’s time for your children to brush their teeth or a short song that plays while they brush. Once the song is finished, they can be done brushing and move on to the next part of their routine.

Reward Them

If you’re having difficulty establishing a routine or your children aren’t getting invested in the toothbrushing process, consider using the rewards system. This can be as simple or involved as you want it to be.

For example, you can create a reward chart for them. Every time they brush their teeth, give them a sticker or a mark. Once they’ve reached a certain number of marks, they get some sort of reward for their good work.

Choose the Right Dentist for Kids

A big part of making brushing teeth fun for kids is choosing the right dentist for kids. The dentist can be a scary place for children, which is why the right dental care facility is so important. Not all children’s dentists are equal.

When searching for a dentist for kids, look at reviews to get feedback from other parents. You want to work with a dentist that is patient with children and can make them laugh so they don’t feel so afraid of the different treatments they need.

Make Brushing Teeth Fun

Use the above teeth brushing tips to start making brushing teeth fun for your children. Just because the act of teeth brushing may not be exciting in itself, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make it that way.

Don’t underestimate the value of working with a great dentist for kids. They can vastly improve your children’s view of dental care. It can help turn the dentist’s office from a scary place to visit to something they enjoy.

Get your child started with a great dentist for kids by booking an appointment with us today!