Let’s Get Your Kids Excited about Brushing!

Hello, Birmingham! We are back once more with an informative dental blog from the office of Perrigo Dental Care. Our mission is to keep the families of Birmingham, AL smiling bright with a set of beautiful healthy teeth. There is no denying that oral health is an essential aspect of healthy living in general, so if you want your children to grow up big and strong, you have to teach them to care for their teeth and gums.

The most important thing for the oral health of your children is that they establish healthy home dental care habits. It is hard to get your children to understand the value of brushing and flossing, but if you don’t get them doing it when they are children, then they will be less likely to carry on the habit as teenagers and adults.

Doing this is often easier said than done, though. Children just don’t seem to understand the value of healthy dental care. And why should they? They are kids, after all. Unfortunately, even some parents have a hard time understanding why it is important to get their kids brushing and flossing regularly. especially younger kids who still have their baby teeth. Why bother taking care of these teeth that are just going to fall out anyway?

True, your kids will be getting a second set of teeth, but the health of their permanent teeth will be greatly affected by the health of their baby ones. So, it is of the utmost importance that you instill in your children a home dental care routine that will protect their oral health for years to come.

Here are some ideas on how to get your brushing:

Brush Along to a Song

You may have noticed that brushing your teeth has a certain rhythm to it. That lends itself greatly to using music as a motivational tool to get your children engaged in brushing. When it’s time for them to brush their teeth, pick a upbeat song with a catchy tune they love. Having your kids brush along with music will turn oral hygiene into a party.

One of the greatest benefits to having your kids brush their teeth to music that it makes it easier to know they are brushing long enough. For most kids, brushing is a tedious task they want to get over with quickly, so they rush through it. But find a song that a couple of minutes long, and they will know when to start and stop, and you will know that they are brushing long enough.

Play Simon Says

Turning oral hygiene into a game is a wonderful way to get your kids running for their toothbrushes. Simon says is great game to use for this purpose because the rules of the game allow you to verbally instruct your kids on proper brushing technique under the guise of playing the game. Just make sure you say Simon Says before the important commands.

Read to Them While They Brush

There is no reason why you shouldn’t combine healthy routines. Reading to your children is one of the most important things you can do to develop their imaginations and to get them engaged in learning. Whereas reading will strengthen their minds, brushing will strengthen their teeth.

Another great thing about this practice is that it saves you time. You probably read to your kids every night anyway, and they definitely need to brush their teeth, so why not do them both as at the same time? Combining healthy habits this way will allow you to reinforce healthy behavior while making it fun. This means your children will more likely continue these habits as they get older.

Brush as a Family

As effective as these techniques may be, they will be even more effect if you get the whole family involved. Children need role models for their oral health habits, and who better for than than their parents and siblings? Brushing as a family, along with some of the methods suggested above, will have your kids so excited about dental care that they are almost certain to carry their healthy habits into adulthood.

Bring Your Kids to Our Office in Birmingham

In addition to healthy home habits, your kids will need regular cleanings and examinations at Perrigo Dental Care. Children are more likely to get cavities than any other age group. So, it is very important that they receive thorough high quality family dentistry to keep their teeth from causing problems that are easily preventable.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment.