Tips From a Children's Dentist For Getting Kids Excited to Brush

When you visit our children's dentist office, you are going to hear a lot about teeth brushing.  We can't help it – brushing teeth is that important!  Still, we understand that for parents the idea or concept of getting their kids to brush makes 100 percent sense.  Implementation, however, can be incredibly difficult, especially with a child that is absolutely uninterested.  Regardless of whether you have a toddler at home or a teen, brushing teeth will often take a backseat to playing, watching a show, running around, etc.  Our goal is to help you to change the tide and make brushing teeth a fun and interesting activity.

Yes – it is possible.

The first thing we suggest is to put away the old timers and stopwatches.  If you have been timing your kids while they brush, that is a good thing.  How you do it, however, can make the difference between teeth brushing being something to dread and a fun activity.  Instead of using a timer, start to have fun with it by playing their favorite song for two minutes at a time.  If you have several kids, let them take turns picking to change things up a bit.  This works really well in the morning if you play an upbeat song that they can sing and dance to.  This is not the time to play your personal favorites, but let them make the song selection.  The ultimate goal, after all, is for the to start having fun while brushing their teeth.

As a children's dentist office, we also suggest that you visit the American Dental Association website and use the tools that they have available for kids and parents.  They have a rewards chart that you can use to start encouraging your kids to brush.  This works really well for younger kids, but you can use the same concept without the chart.  For example, if your teen wants to go out with friends on Friday, make brushing their teeth twice a day, every day, the criteria for doing so.  It's simple, but it creates a positive association.  With your younger kids, you can offer a reward of staying up fifteen minutes later if they brush their teeth without being told.  Once again, you are offering a simple reward that costs nothing but will show them how healthy habits can positively influence their life.

The ADA also has a section on their website that features two minute videos.  These are popular cartoons like Adventure Time and sing-alongs for the younger kids.  Each video is only two minutes long so that you can grab your tablet and play it while they brush.  Once the video is over, they can stop brushing, and you will know that they did it for a long enough period of time to be successful at it.  If you have kids, that hate to brush teeth, letting them watch their favorite show is a simple and easy way to get them to change their mind.  When you visit our children's dentist office, we will reinforce what you are doing at home and further encourage them to keep up with their good, healthy habits.

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