Tips To Encourage Good Brushing At Home With Your Child

Do you have a child that is not excited about brushing their teeth in the morning and before bed? If so, you may be struggling to find ways to get them to do this very important oral health task. Here are a few techniques you can try to get your child into brushing their teeth.

Brush With Your Child

One way to motivate your child is to do the job of brushing your teeth along with them. If you just tell a child to brush, chances are that they will protest and not want to do it. However, brushing with them gives them some motivation to brush their teeth. You'll notice that your child is more likely to mirror your actions, which include brushing for as long as you do. It may be the best way to get your child's brushing up to two minutes every day. 

Use A Brushing App

There are a few apps out there that can help motivate your child to brush. Some are as simple as playing a two minute song that encourages good brushing behavior, while others even let your child scan their toothbrush with a phone or tablet so that the character on it can come to "life" on the screen to assist with the brushing for the day. Incorporating a little bit of technology into this routine task can be enough to motivate a child to brush.

Perform An Inspection

If your child is brushing on their own, it's likely that they are not doing a good job at it. Their brushing won't be as distributed across their teeth, causing them to miss spots. Having a brushing inspection when they first take over their own oral health can help with this concern. The inspection is just an extra minute of you doing the brushing for them. Over time they will become better at brushing and you won't need to help any longer.

Create A Sticker Chart

You can always reward good brushing behavior by allowing your child to add a sticker to a special sticker chart. When the chart fills up completely, they will be given a special reward for their good behavior. Choose non-food rewards, since you don't want to give a sugary treat right after a brushing session. Having a goal can be the extra motivation your child needs to put in their best effort when brushing.

Speak with your kid's dentist for more tips on how to handle brushing at home.


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