Ways to help your kid to be oral health champions

Good oral health is a great start to general health! We here at Empire Bay Dental want to offer you some tips so you can get your kids to be oral health champions and make brushing fun!

It’s so important that they learn good oral health standards from when they are young! This is why we encourage the first dental visit when the first tooth erupts or by one year old. The purpose of this early visit (followed with regular checkups – six monthly) is to meet our team, gain insight into healthy eating protocols, watching out for ‘sometimes’ foods and drinks and reinforcement of correct brushing techniques. Most of all, it fosters positive experiences for the child as they grow rather than their first experience being one of pain from a tooth.

Read below for ways to make it fun and to make them into oral health champions early on in life.

Get them a special toothbrush and toothpaste.

It can be a bit boring sometimes to brush your teeth – make it fun for them! Get them a special toothbrush and toothpaste – you can get many different types of children’s toothbrushes and toothpastes at Coles or Woolworths with many popular characters on them with characters from Peppa Pig, Cars, Mickey Mouse and Friends, Minions, Batman, Frozen, Stars Wars, The Lion King and many more.

Tooth Hero

How much toothpaste?

Please remember that it is recommended that a small smear of toothpaste is to be always used. Children should be supervised when applying toothpaste and whilst brushing. The child must not eat or swallow the toothpaste.

When can my child brush their own teeth?

As a rule, parents should be helping to brush the child’s teeth until they can tie their own shoelaces. The child may enjoy brushing with their siblings or with their parents.

Get the tooth fairy onboard.

Did you know that the tooth fairy pays more for teeth that are clean and free of cavities? One sec, I’m just going to brush my teeth again…

Use positive reinforcement.

Let them know they are doing a good job! Find ways to motivate your children to brush – for some that might mean good job stickers or choosing the bedtime story. Create simple ways for your children to be rewarded for doing a good job. Just make sure that the reward doesn’t include sugar!

Understanding what good eating and drinking habits look like!

Does your child know what good or bad food for your teeth looks like? You may take it for granted but start that conservation early! Talk about sugar and how that sugar can decay your teeth, calcium is good for your teeth to stay strong or ask us to come to your child’s preschool and talk about oral health.

Did you know: Our team at Empire Bay Dental provide complimentary dental education sessions for childcare centres? Contact us today on (02) 4363 1449 to arrange with us.

Dance with the brush in your mouth!

Find that your kids find two minutes too long to concentrate on doing that? Find a way for the two minutes to be timed in a fun way. Let them listen to a two-minute song while brushing or download the Brush DJ app! It makes tooth brushing a dance party!

Make it a routine.

We all know that young people respond well to routine – so make sure that brushing their teeth is just part of their daily routine! Let them know that they have to brush morning and night – and build it into their day, they should know in a bit that it’s just part of their day!

Come visit us here at Empire Bay Dental

Our experienced professionals at Empire Bay Dental can help you and your child take perfect care of their teeth. We recommend having checkups every 6 months – see if you qualify for the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) – it’s an easy way to get examinations, x rays’ cleanings, fissure sealants, fillings, & extractions for no out of pocket costs, up to $1000 over 2 years!

All of our friendly team will help you keep your child calm and happy. Help your child get a head start with their oral health – contact us today!

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References:

https://www.ada.org.au/Your-Dental-Health/Children-0-11/Kids
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/oralhealth/prevention/Pages/resources-children-0-5.aspx