Straight Teeth in Less Time
Are Those Grown-Up Teeth Coming In? 3 Ways To Get Your Kid To Care About Oral Hygiene
Lois Murray
Watching as your kid's first teeth fall out and get replaced with their adult ones is exciting. While your kid is all excited about the Tooth Fairy coming to visit and getting a grown up smile, you know that this time also represents the need to be extra careful about oral hygiene. Brushing and flossing those baby teeth taught your kid how to develop a routine, yet it is common for school-aged children to suddenly start slacking off when they'd rather be doing other things. To keep your kid's teeth in top condition, use these strategies to make brushing their teeth cool again:
Update Their Oral Hygiene Supplies
Toothbrushes should be replaced every three months, which makes this a great place to start with getting your kid some cool new supplies that make brushing their teeth fun. Consider buying your kid a toothbrush that lights up, plays music, or sounds a timer so that your kid will be motivated to use their brand new oral hygiene supplies. Depending on your preferences, you can also add a water flosser to replace traditional dental floss, or you can give your kid a new flavor of toothpaste that makes oral hygiene far less boring.
Recruit Some Expert Advice
Kids sometimes seem to filter out what their parents say, yet they will listen to other adults that they admire. Before your child's next dentist appointment, call ahead and ask the dentist to spend a little extra time talking to your kid about what it means to have adult teeth. For instance, your child's dental clinic may have pictures of cavities that can give your kid a visual representation of why their adult teeth are important. Alternatively, the staff may also give your kid a few pointers on how to effectively floss so that they don't miss any tooth surfaces.
Set Up a Reward System
Those teeth may be grown up ones, but your kid is still a kid. This means that they love to be praised, and a little reward goes a long way toward changing their behavior. Grab a calendar, and make a deal that your kid can get a special reward if they brush and floss their teeth every day for a week. Whether your kid wants to see a movie or get that cool new toy, having a prize in sight will motivate them to keep working on their goal.
That adorable little tooth growing in your child's mouth will be there for the rest of their life. Help them learn how to take care of it properly so that they will always love their beautiful smile.
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I had braces when I was a kid. Back then, you had to wear those metal wires and rubber bands for what seemed like forever. When I saw that my child’s teeth were going to be crooked like mine, I was dreading the years of braces and orthodontist appointments and limited diets that I saw stretching ahead of us. I was pleased to find out that braces today are very different from braces when I was a kid. They don’t need to be worn for nearly as long, and they aren’t as intrusive, either. My daughter got braces that can barely be seen, and she can remove them when she eats, so she doesn’t have to give up her favorite foods. I was so impressed that I started a blog to talk about modern day tooth straightening techniques. Braces have come a long way.