Getting your child to brush their teeth can be a seemingly never-ending struggle filled with crying and tantrums. Implementing dental care into their life is usually not as simple as just telling them their teeth will turn yellow if they don’t brush. Here are some simple things you can do to help make the experience more fun and less unnerving for all involved!

Make it Their Own Experience 

• Make the brushing something your child is able to have a sense of special independence with. Let them brush themselves early on so they aren’t dependent on you to do it for them.
• Instead of a plain boring toothbrush, let them pick out a colorful brush or one that shows off their favorite tv show or video game characters. You could even get them a plain brush and let them trick it out with stickers.

Add Some Flavor to Their Toothpaste

• Not all children are in love with the mint flavor that is common with adults’ toothpaste. Luckily, companies know this and as a result children’s toothpaste can come in a great variety of flavors. They also can sport their favorite characters on the tube which can help persuade your child to use it more.

Make Brushing like a Concert

• Let your child pick their favorite song to jam to while they brush their teeth. Watch them hit some moves and help make brushing a fun experience by dancing along with them.

Game Time!

• Turn brushing into a game to play with your child. Have them try to brush their teeth clean in a race to get as much as they can done during a certain time. Or race against them yourself to see who can get more clean in time.
• You can hype them up and cheer for them as they brush like it’s a sporting event. Showing them positive encouragement will help motivate them to want to do it again.
• There are also plenty of apps you can look into that can help motivate them as well.

Get Creative with a Story

• Make up a story for your child to participate in. Have them pretend they are a superhero fighting off “bad guy germs” by brushing as rigorous as they can.

Giving a Reward

• If all else fails you can resort to giving your child a reward so they are able to trudge through the task of brushing with the promise of light at the end of the tunnel.
• You can use a sticker reward system with little prizes guaranteed with a certain amount of brushes.

Implementing this advice as early as possible is the best way to help develop your child’s brushing into something they can look forward to. Lead them to a lifestyle of healthy dental care habits and save them from future hardship.

Remember to regularly schedule dental check-ups for your children to see how their teeth are progressing. Our team at Noll Family Dentistry would be happy to help you and your children set up an appointment.