Teaching your children how to brush their teeth properly can be a bit tedious at times, especially when they're really small and don't completely understand why you want to stick a brush with slimy toothpaste on it into their mouths.
I have tried and tested many methods with my own children so thought I'd share these techniques with you to try and make this daily routine a little easier.
#1 Make it fun!
Small children are easily distracted from the task at hand and also easily bored so they tend to be the most difficult when it comes to brushing their teeth. A trick I used with my children was to sing the 'tooth-brushing song' which is a song that I made up to the tune of 'row, row, row your boat' and changed the words to:
"brush, brush, brush your teeth
make them nice and clean
clean the bottom and the top
and the spaces in between"
I sang through the song a couple of times whilst brushing their teeth and it keeps them interested long enough to clean their teeth. I also used this song for teaching them to wash their hands properly by changing the words slightly.
#2 Brush your teeth at the same time
This tip is a bit easier when the children are big enough to begin brushing their own teeth. Children learn a lot from watching their parents so if you make a point of brushing your teeth at the same time, then they will also want to do it.
#3 Have multiple toothbrushes
It is so much easier to brush your teeth twice a day if you keep toothbrushes in handy, easy to reach places. For example; in the evening my children brush their teeth in the bathroom after their shower so we keep toothbrushes and toothpaste in the bathroom cabinet where they can reach them easily. In the mornings they eat their breakfast and then brush their teeth so we keep another set of toothbrushes downstairs in the kitchen for them to use.
The easier it is for them to access their toothbrushes then the easier it is for them to get into a routine of brushing their teeth regularly.
#4 Spit only, don't rinse
This is a tip that we picked up from a dental hygienist who came to talk to the children at school. When you brush your teeth with toothpaste, the active ingredients do not only work whilst you're brushing but they continue to work afterwards. Though this is only if you do not rinse your mouth out after brushing. This can take some getting used to but if you make sure that you spit all of the toothpaste out after brushing then the taste should dissipate rather quickly.
If your children think that the taste is quite horrible to linger in their mouths, then they can splash water on their tongue to get rid of the taste as long as they don't rinse out their whole mouth.
#5 Create a routine and stick with it
Children need structure to a certain degree and their routine for brushing their teeth should be no different. Create a routine that works for you and your family and stick with it. It will set your children up with a healthy cleaning regime that they can continue for the rest of their lives and should hopefully help to reduce your dentist bills (although what you eat plays a bit part with that).
I hope you find these tips useful. Bye for now!
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