Today, more than 25% of children under 5 sport untreated tooth decays. Often, these lead to cavities. To counter this, children need to inculcate good oral hygiene habits from young. In fact, Man Wai Ng — the Dentist-in-Chief for the Children’s Hospital Boston — advises parents to encourage their toddlers to start brushing independently.
However, for many young children, brushing their teeth can be a boring or even downright frustrating routine. After all, diligence and discipline are not the typical hallmarks of your average tot. Upon seeing the child’s resistance, some parents may in turn attempt to ‘force it down’. Eventually, the washbasin becomes a dragged out battleground in a mutual test of patience.
Why not try a paradigm shift? Introduce an element of casual play into the brushing routine. Be light-hearted about it. Make it engaging. Make it an adventure. Make it FUN! Not sure how? No worries, here are some ideas to get you going!
1. Fun Tooth Fairies Video
Watch this animation while brushing, and sing along! The on-screen tooth fairies will go through the joy and importance of brushing teeth in a fun and light-hearted manner.
2. Brush with your child
Brushing your teeth together with your child can be a great bonding time. Grab your toothbrush, stand beside your child in front of the mirror. Encourage (or challenge!) your child to follow and mimic your movements exactly, as you go through the brushing techniques.
3. Count as you brush
As you brush each tooth, count aloud. For example, “Number one, all clear!” “Tooth number two, done! Here we go for tooth number threeeeeeee!” This can even be an entertaining way for your child to learn the numbers and practice counting.
4. Sing-‘Aaahh-long’-song!
As you brush your child’s teeth, encourage him/her to go “Aaahh~~~” for as long as he can, varying the pitch, tone and rhythm into a tune. A typical song is just about 2-3 minutes long: just about the right timing for a thorough brush.
5. Together with Tooth fairies!
There are a variety of toothbrushes, toothpastes and other products that comes with cartoon characters. These favorite characters can then become the ‘Tooth Fairies’ in the bathroom, keeping your child’s attention and turn the routines from work to play.
6. Make a Sticker Poster
Create a ToothFairy brushing chart ! Award your child a sticker or a star that he/she can paste onto the poster after a thorough brushing. When your child completes the chart, give a small award, or do a fun activity together!
Ultimately, children are great emulators. Your enthusiasm and eagerness will definitely rub off on them. Hopefully these tips will help your child develop healthy oral hygiene habits in a fun and engaging way!
