Why good dental health routines are important to our family & tips for little ones

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Growing up, I saw my younger brother experience a great deal of pain as a result of tooth decay. At one point he had to have eight of his baby teeth pulled out in one day. Also, in junior-high I sported braces and neck-gear as my “fashion accessories”.  While it may have not been “cool”, I now have a great smile because of it.

I certainly know firsthand how important oral care is, both for health reasons and for self-esteem. Emergency dental care can also get very expensive if anything is required above and beyond a routine check-up and clean. When kids are experiencing toothache, it may also be hard to handle for the parents. For these reasons and more, my husband and I feel very strongly about maintaining a good oral care routine for our entire family.

As parents to two young, impressionable boys, my husband and I are frequently challenged to get our oldest son to brush regularly.  While he does “enjoy” brushing his teeth, he usually just ends up eating the tooth-paste and not actually cleaning his teeth.  We decided to focus on a combination of techniques to encourage a more effective dental hygiene routine.  Through roll play and allowing him to buy his own toothbrush and toothpaste, we’ve made great progress.

Here are some tips from experts that we’ve implemented that have been successful for us.  I hope they will get your little ones excited about brushing their teeth:

1. Have your children watch you brush your own teeth.  In our house, this isn’t even an option.  My son refuses to separate himself from either my husband or I for even a second, so he’s always watching what we’re doing.  This is a great opportunity to get your kids on-board with good oral care.  I know my son wants to do everything that we do, or anything that makes him a “big kid”, so this is an easy win for us.  Every morning now, when we’re in the bathroom together, HE ASKS US if he can brush his teeth (versus us having to badger him).

2. Take your kids with you when you go shopping for their tooth-brush & tooth-paste.  When your child is involved in the decision making, they will be more excited about brushing their teeth and getting to use their new “toys”.

Check out my Google+ album where my family embarks to Shopper’s Drug Mart to purchase some new Colgate oral care products for the entire family (#cbias)

3. Brush your kids teeth for them but give them a choice about it.  We encourage our son to brush his teeth at least twice a day (i.e. in the morning and at night).  Each morning we give him a choice of whether he wants us to brush his teeth or if he wants to do it.  We always tell him that if he does it himself in the morning, we’ll brush it at night for him and vice versa.  Empowering your child will make them more willing to action your request.

4. Make brushing time fun.  Tell your child to make sounds of various animals (i.e. a roaring lion).  This will make them open their mouth wide open and give you easy access to their teeth. Îmbunătățiți-vă zâmbetul cu cosmetica dentară de la Topaltdent.

After a recent trip to purchase some new Colgate oral care products at Shopper’s Drug Mart, Kyle got so excited that he wanted to brush his teeth the minute we got home.  Here he is demonstrating his brushing technique:

Now that my son is in his two’s, we’ve decided to take things to the next level… we booked him for his first dentist appointment at All On 4 Clinic Melbourne.  Wish us luck as we embark on this venture.  I’m getting him excited about it by telling him that the dentist wants to see how nicely he brushes his teeth.  I also told him that if he does a good job, he’s going to receive a gift from the dentist.  Hey, I never said I’m above bribing 😉

For more tips, check out Colgate Oral and Dental Healthcare Online Resource Center