As a parent, one of your most important responsibilities is to teach your children good health habits. It can be difficult to encourage your kids to make healthy choices each day, so here are a few things that you can do to make it easier to teach your kids about dental health:
Be a Good Example
It goes without saying that young children mimic their parents throughout the day. If the child sees you brushing and flossing your teeth, then they will be more interested in doing it as well. Make sure to brush your teeth frequently and let your child join in at the same time. If your children are young, they will have fun brushing their teeth together.
Talk With the Child
As the child grows older, you can have conversations with them about the reasons why they need to brush and floss on a regular basis. Simply telling them to brush their teeth without explaining “why” will make it harder for the child to obey. Once children understand that brushing their teeth helps to avoid tooth decay, then they are more likely to be consistent with the habit in order to avoid cavities. Have a discussion with your child when the topic comes up, and talk with them on a level that they can understand.
Show the Child the Right Methods
The only way for your child to learn the best brushing and flossing methods is if you show them what to do. If needed, provide them with easy tools to use, such as flossing sticks to make it easy to reach the teeth in the back of the mouth.
Make it Fun
Instead of making it a daily chore, look for ways that you can make it fun for the child to brush their teeth. For example, take them to the store and let them pick out a fun toothbrush. Also, consider putting a sticker chart on the bathroom mirror, and let them put on a sticker every time they brush their teeth. You can offer the incentive to buy a new toothbrush when the sticker chart is full, because they will need to have their toothbrush replaced at that point anyway.
Consistent check-ups at the dental office help the child to feel more comfortable talking about their teeth. Also, these checkups are great opportunities for the child to talk with the dentist, helping them to learn more about their dental health. The dental staff can teach your child about brushing and flossing, which is beneficial to backup the information that you have been teaching at home.
It is important that you choose a family dentist in Waltham, MA who will help your child feel comfortable while they are in the dental chair. We offer dental services for the whole family, and we are happy to provide dental services that are catered to your child. Contact us to schedule an appointment, and we will help your child to establish good dental habits!
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