Posts Tagged ‘Cavity Prevention’

“I don’t wanna brush!”

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

We chase our kids through the house, finally cornering them in the bathroom. With a bright smile and cheerful voice flowing out from behind [often] gritted teeth, we announce those dreaded words, “It’s time to brush our teeth!” Armed with toothpaste in one hand and the brush in the other, we struggle against tight-lipped defiance and the ever-so-lovely screaming child. Does it have to be a struggle every morning and every night?

To be sure, there will be days when the struggle seems insurmountable. But don’t let your child’s behavior become a hindrance to the daily care of their teeth. Listed below are some tips; feel free to comment with your own experiences!

• Cheerful Persistence! Try to be consistently positve and keep a smile on your face when working with your child. We can give off many non-verbal cues as to how we REALLY feel about going into this experience, and generally, children are already well-versed in how the next 15 minutes are going to go. When trying new techniques, recognize that it may take one or two weeks for the new routine and behavior to set in; so don’t give up!
• Consistency, Consistency. Oral hygiene (brushing and flossing) only work when done on a regular basis. Set a time for the morning and evening, and stick to that routine. Children thrive on daily rhythm, so use that to your advantage.
• Have Fun! Make a game of tooth-brushing. Challenge your child to last for the whole 2 minutes – setting a timer, or using “sand” timer from their favorite board game. Tell a story about tickling those icky sugar bugs with their toothbrush, and see if they can brush off all the orange ones with purple polka-dots on the left hand side, and all the green bugs with yellow stripes on the right hand side. Be sure to check their teeth and make sure all the “bugs” are gone. Use fun sticker charts to earn prizes out of  a goody bag if they brush weekly, and then turn in their weekly charts at the end of the month for a big surprise.
• Make it a Family Affair. Brush with them, so they can see that grown-ups do this too. Get big brother or sister involved, reading books about our teeth and taking care of our bodies. Go online to play fun games and learn more about why it’s important to take care of our teeth. Schedule your dental visits every 6 months, and model to your kids the importance of excellent dental care!

Tags: baby teeth, Baby teeth and brushing, brushing my babies teeth, Brushing my childs teeth, Brushing Tips, Cavity Prevention, How to prevent cavities

Posted in General, Prevention, kids teeth, my kids teeth