Creating good oral health habits for the kids

Teaching kids the importance of brushing and flossing starts early. The earlier they are taught these habits, the more likely it is for you to prevent cavities or other oral health problems in their life by teaching them how important good dental hygiene really can be!

We as parents or caretakers understand how when we were kids we looked up to certain grown-ups in our lives and we would want to emulate the things they do. We would copy both positive and negative things we would see… which we would either get in trouble for or we would offer the adults a good laugh. Remembering our kids are the same as we were is something that is important to remember.

Here are some good oral hygiene habits to help your kiddos on their way to good oral health.

Brush your teeth with your child

Imitation is one of the best ways they will learn from you. If you let your son or daughter watch, they can learn great oral hygiene habits from watching how well we take care of our teeth for life by brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to making sure all food sticks around in between meals so it doesn’t get stuck on top!

Watch what you eat for your oral health

Kids and adults alike should limit their intake of sugary snacks such as ice cream, candy, or other sweet treats to avoid major oral health problems. Sugar is a leading cause of tooth decay.

If left untreated, it may damage parts further down the tooth, including jaw bone structure or your enamel. Promoting healthy eating habits could help you reduce your child’s risk for dental issues and help make their teeth strong through childhood, adolescence, and well into their adult life.

Pick a song that your kids will love to have fun brushing their teeth to

Kids love to do almost anything if you make it fun. Putting on their favourite song is a great way to get them excited to brush. If you sing and dance and be silly, they are likely to follow along. This will program in their head at an early age that brushing your teeth is fun.

Have an award system for brushing their teeth

Every time your child brushes their teeth, you could give them a sticker or gold star they can stick on a calendar. There are many different types of reward systems you could use to help your kids establish the habit of brushing and flossing his or her teeth. By doing so, you can provide incentives to encourage great oral health habits in children by starting small with tasks that are easily manageable. For example, you could reward them if they brush regularly for an entire week.

After, you can follow up on their success by offering even bigger bonuses when the children complete these simple goals consistently over time such as giving out stars after every two weeks without missing any days!

A toothbrush that your child loves will make them want to brush more often

Every kid should have a toothbrush, and the options are endless. Some of our favorites include singing ones with superheroes or villains that your little one can identify with to make brushing fun for them!

You may not feel like brushing and flossing your teeth when you wake up in the morning, but as a parent, we need to set an example of how we take care of ourselves. Showing enthusiasm about oral hygiene will help children learn too!

Final thoughts

Now you have several things you can do to help your child with oral hygiene at home. On top of this, it is also important to visit the dentist. Going to the dentist can be loathed by children if they do not have a good experience. Have your child excited to go see the dentist. A positive dental experience for your children starts with the dentist. Be sure you look up a good dentist in Medicine Hat, Alberta that is known for giving kids a positive experience. If kids feel scared or stressed about their next visit, this will lead them to avoid going back again!

Start them young. Start them right. The experience your kids have with oral hygiene will determine if they will want to participate in forming good oral health habits.