As adults, we know good oral health and an aesthetically pleasing smile started when we were kids. Most good hygiene, nutrition, and exercise habits do, so it is important to teach children could habits about their as soon as they can hold a brush. Here are four ways to teach your children about good oral care.
Teach Children to Take Care of Their Teeth
The best way to teach your child anything, including good dental habits is to lead by example. When you start teaching your child how to brush their own teeth, you need to make sure they see you doing it and doing it correctly every morning and evening. If they get up later than you or you stay up later, then alter your schedule. Brushing their teeth with a parent or preferably with both parents at the same time makes it a fun family activity, and as long as they brush every morning and evening, they have started the habit of good hygiene.
Offer Incentives and Rewards to Younger Children
In the beginning, it will not hurt to offer an incentive, also known as a bribe, to younger kids, so they will want to work harder at keeping their teeth clean. Rewards and incentives should absolutely not be done every day. Doing it every day might give them a false sense of entitlement even though clean teeth is for their benefit. Make the small reward a weekly or bi-weekly ordeal, so you can slowly phase the reward system out without them noticing.
Teach Them the Consequences of Poor Hygiene and Good Hygiene
Young kids soak up knowledge like sponges. Poor oral care can make teeth ugly and hurt, and they should be made aware of that. Those are consequences of not using the right techniques and routine cleaning. Use picture illustrations and big colorful charts, and they will absorb it all.
Let Them Use High-Tech Toothbrushes
To a kid, an electronic toothbrush may seem like a toy, so you can kill two birds with one stone. Your child will be brushing their teeth and having fun, and they will be doing it with the recommended dental tool. Family and pediatric dentistry clinics recommend using electronic brushes for optimum cleaning. Verifying with a clinic in your area and finding all dentists recommending the same thing for children and adults means there is no disputing it. They work faster, do a better job and children will see brushing as more fun. Whatever it takes to get them to start brushing is important.
These four educational techniques work a lot better if they are combined and feed off one another. These habits and techniques need to be applied as early as possible. Good dental hygiene will probably lead to good overall hygiene, and good teeth are necessary for a child's physical and mental health.