Toddlers usually feel two ways about brushing their teeth. They are either excited to be a big girl or boy, or they are uncooperative. It’s important to help your young one develop good oral hygiene. Here are some tips on handling common teeth brushing problems.
- Start with the baby teeth – babies can’t brush their teeth but you can take steps to remove food and plaque. At a young age you can use water and gauze for a light teeth cleaning. At around 18 months you can begin to introduce a child’s tooth brush.
· Take advantage of your child’s curiosity – if your child wants to brush their own teeth, let them. However, you should supervise the process up until your child is school-aged.
· Let Your Child Express Their Independence– let them have fun picking out the toothpaste and the brush they want. This is just another way to get them interested.
· Be Creative – their have been a lot of innovations in tooth brush technology since we were kids. As a gimmick, to get your child excited about brushing, a simple toothbrush can now play music, they can speak to your child and they are shaped as your child’s favorite character. Take advantage of these innovations to peak your child’s interest in teeth brushing.
If you have a real dental question you should always contact your friendly pediatric dentist.
I have to remind myself to take advantage of my daughter's curiosity. She is 2 and she really wants to brush her teeth every day, just like her bigger brother. It is so much faster for me to just brush her teeth. But, I love that she's not afraid of brushing. Thanks for that reminder. This was a great article! This Mom's Guide has also been very helpful for me as it gives great tips on how to care for my kids teeth & make it fun for them too. www.1dental.com/moms-guide/
ReplyDelete