4 Ways To Help Your Child Enjoy Oral Hygiene

Taking care of your child's teeth can be tough when they're little, but it might be even harder to make the transition to them caring for their own teeth. Little kids often don't like caring for their oral health, so finding ways to make it enjoyable and even addictive is important. Here are four ways to encourage your child to enjoy good oral hygiene.

Singing Toothbrush

For years, toothbrush manufacturers have designed children's toothbrushes to be visually appealing. Even more exciting, however, is a singing toothbrush.

Many manufacturers now make toothbrushes that play a tune while your child brushes their teeth. The toothbrushes are often designed to stop playing the song if your child stops brushing, which will help encourage your child to keep brushing. In addition, these brushes are generally designed to play the song for the recommended two minutes of brushing one's teeth.

Plenty of Sugar-Free Gum

If your child is old enough to chew gum safely, you should offer them all the gum they want. Xylitol-sweetened gum has been shown to help improve oral health. It reduces the risk of plaque by preventing the bacteria responsible for creating plaque from adhering to teeth. In addition, regularly chewing gum helps to produce more saliva, which flushes teeth of bacteria.

Plaque Disclosing Tablets

Getting your child to brush their teeth at all is good, but helping them to feel victorious over plaque is even better. This is where plaque disclosing tablets come in. These tablets are chewed after brushing one's teeth and reveal where plaque still remains in the mouth. You can impress your child by having them chew one before they brush their teeth to show how much plaque and buildup there is, and then having them chew another after brushing to show them what a good job they did. Kids can think of it like a game, which may help them to do a better job brushing their teeth.

Child-Friendly Dentist

Lastly, make sure you're taking your child to a child-friendly dentist. With a good dentist, children don't have to develop anxiety or fear of the dentist at an early age. Instead, going to the dentist and getting a clean bill of health can help your child look forward to going to the dentist on a regular basis.

Teaching good oral hygiene habits at an early age will provide your child the skills they need to maintain good oral health for the rest of their lives. Try these tips to improve your child's interest in taking care of their teeth. Don't forget to set an appointment with a family-friendly dentist like Edwardsville Family Dentist.