How To Teach Your Kids Healthy Dental Habits

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Getting your children to follow some of the daily routines and habits we adults stick to regularly can be challenging at times. Teaching your kids healthy dental habits is one of those things, so we’ll give you a couple of tips on how to make the learning process go easy.

Your Children Look Up to You – Use This to Your Advantage

The fact that your children consider you to be a role model at the early stages of their childhood can be a huge advantage. This can come in handy especially when you try to instill some of the habits that many children find difficult following regularly. In case your child has such problems, consider showing them how you brush your teeth, not just telling them that they should.

For example, if you brush your teeth right before bed and children don’t get a chance to see you doing that because they’re already in bed, consider changing this routine. Brush your teeth or floss so they can see you while you’re performing these activities. Leading by example is one of the most pertinent things you can do for properly educating your child how to do certain things.

Explain to Them Why This Is Important

We’ve told you that it’s better to show your kids how to keep their mouth hygiene at a high level, and not just tell them that they need to do this just because you said so. This means that you should make an effort to explain to them the reasons why healthy dental habits are so important. Tell them all about the cavities, tooth decay, unhealthy gums, but in a way that they can understand. If you just tell them that their teeth are going to look bad, this might not be enough to motivate them properly.

You can once again use here the fact that children react better to visual stimuli than words, and show them some video clips of what might happen to their teeth, mouth, or gums if they don’t keep up with the routine of brushing and flossing their teeth at least a couple of times a day.

Eliminate the Fear of Dentist As Early As Possible

As much as it’s important that the children in Australia adopt healthy dental habits, it’s arguably even more important to eliminate the fear of the dentist as early as possible. As we’ve said, children look up to you and follow your example in most cases. That’s why you need to be calm and collected when you visit the dentist office.

On top of this, it’s momentous to have a dentist in your town who you personally trust. That way the children will also feel a lot safer – for instance, try to find a dentist in Tuggerah that’s going to be patient with kids and who’ll make sure they don’t develop the fear that’s so common even in adults. That way the children can truly create a bond with their dentist and trust her or him fully and completely.

Make It a Fun Activity

You want your children to realize the importance of keeping their mouths healthy, but you certainly don’t want to traumatize them on the other hand. Your children might start brushing their teeth in fear and injure their gums or mouth by pressing too hard, for instance. To avoid these scenarios, make sure that this becomes a fun activity they’ll look forward to.

Use various techniques in order to achieve this. For example, you can tell their bed-time story while they’re brushing their teeth. This way they’ll be happy about the activity because they’ll associate it with something which they like and enjoy. You can even make these stories about the importance of fighting off bad guys and villains like cavities and plaque. Make the toothbrush and toothpaste heroes of the story, and the kids will definitely want to hear more.

Conclusion

Teaching your children healthy dental habits can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but the important thing is not to give up so easily. Instead of just talking to them, show them why this is a crucial habit to adapt. Set them a good example to follow, play with them, and make sure they don’t fear to go to the dentist office. This way you children will not only grow up with healthy teeth and gums, but they also won’t have anxiety many people have when visiting the dentist office.

What are your thoughts?  Please share in the comments below. I really would love to know.

Until next time, shine amongst the stars!

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