Beat Those Brush-Time Blues

It’s never too early to start a regime of good oral health with your little ones. Getting into a good habit of brushing twice a day can be tricky if your child doesn’t like the feel or taste of brushing their teeth. Here are some easy, fun ways to take the drama out of teeth-brushing time.

Rewarding good brushing – think about starting a reward chart with stickers, most kids love stickers and the thought of being rewarded. As long as you don’t reward with sweet, sugary treats, you can choose whatever simple treat you feel appropriate – maybe a special bedtime story or a trip to the park.

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Tell a Story – choose whoever is your child’s favourite character or superhero and make up a story while they are brushing. Try to imagine that their hero is the only one who can defeat the bad guy, plaque, and save the day from the evil cavities!

Lead by Example – let your child watch you brushing your teeth could encourage them to want to be the same. Most children love the thought of doing what the grown-ups are doing so be a good brusher yourself and your children should follow suit. For General Dentistry in Leicester, visit http://www.sjrdental.co.uk/general-dentistry/

Shopping – take your little one to the supermarket or chemist and make them feel responsible and grown-up by choosing their very own toothbrush and paste. There are loads of character toothbrushes on offer, as well as different coloured and flavoured pastes to try. Make it fun and exciting so they will want to get started straight away. Toothbrushes can come with flashing lights, timers and play songs for 2 minutes so if you think your child would respond better to an electric toothbrush with these features then think about spending a little extra for great brushing results.

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Liven things up – Nobody says that two lots of two minutes a day has to be dull. Play your favourite song and brush until it’s finished or set a timer and while they brush, you have to make up a funny song, poem or story until the timer goes off. There are various apps about brushing that your child might find fun, including brushing songs and it makes two minutes fly by!

Animal Fun – let you child pretend to be a different animal each time with big jaws and tough, biting teeth. This should help encourage a nice, wide smile and better access for brushing those little teeth.

Dance – make up a special brush time dance which must be performed by the whole family. There is even a dance available to copy online if your choreography skills are not the best!

Games – did you know that SpongeBob has a cavity-fighting game? Activities and opportunities to learn about oral health don’t just have to happen at teeth brushing time. If you can find a fun video online or a game to download then let your kids become naturally attuned to the idea of keeping their teeth clean by introducing it little and often.