3 Dental Tips For Getting Your Child To Properly Brush Their Teeth

When it comes time for your child to brush his or her own teeth, this can sometimes be a difficult transition for both of you, since you have to convince them of the importance of brushing their own teeth. While this is likely going to be somewhat of a process, no matter what you do, a dentist, such as those ounfd at http://www.accentdentalnwi.com/, will likely provide you with some tips that will help your child learn to properly brush their teeth on their own.

Set Daily Timers

A great way to remind both you and your child that it is time to brush their teeth is to set a daily timer. This can help to ensure that your child brushes their teeth at the proper times, both in the morning and at night. You can choose a fun sounding alarm, such as an animal sound. Your child will know that it is time to brush their teeth whenever they hear the rooster "cock-a-doodle-do" or hear the cow "moo." If your child has a device that you can set timers on, such as a music player, you can also set timers on their device as well. This will help them to feel more responsible and will give them the opportunity to brush their teeth without you ever telling them to.

Sing A Song During Brushing

It is recommended that your child brush their teeth for at least 3 minutes. This includes a minute and a half on their upper teeth and a minute and a half on their lower teeth.  However, this may seem like a long time to your child, so it is important that you do something to distract them to keep them brushing longer. Your dentist may recommend that you sing a song to them, or play a song for them, while they are brushing your teeth. Most songs are around 3 minutes long, making this the perfect length of time. Be sure to choose a song that your child likes so that they will be entertained and motivated to brush their teeth for the entire duration.

Model Proper Brushing For Them

Your dentist will likely explain to you that in order for your child to fully understand exactly how to brush their own teeth, they need to see a model. You can act as your child's model to show them how to brush. You will want to brush slowly in order for them to understand the entire process. You will also want to show them how to brush their gums and their tongue. The first couple of times you may need to assist them a bit, but after this they should be able to do it themselves with success.