Our family dentistry office can’t stress enough how important it is for your children to develop good brushing and flossing habits at a young age. However, many parents visit our family dentistry office worried that they just can’t get their kids to brush, let alone floss, regardless of how hard they try. If you’re tired of the bedtime battles, here are a few tips for helping your kids brush and floss their teeth without a fight:
- Make flossing easier — Some kids struggle with flossing because they don’t quite have the dexterity to do it yet. If your kids complain that flossing is too hard, invest in some handheld floss picks so they’re able to floss more efficiently. Our family dentistry office would be more than happy to give you some samples for your kids to try!
- Create a rewards system-– If your kids are motivated by incentives, use them to your advantage! Create a checklist where your kids can mark off every day they brush and floss. After a certain number of days of good brushing and flossing, reward your kids in some way for their efforts.
- Get involved –– When it comes to brushing and flossing, you need to lead by example. If you head to the bathroom to brush and floss, have your kids join you and let them brush and floss while you do.
- Ditch the boring toothbrush –– Get your kids excited about brushing by letting them pick out their own toothbrush. You might be surprised by how much easier it is to get them to brush when they have a toothbrush they like.