Top Tips for Teaching Your Kids Good Dental Habits

This can help them to keep their teeth healthy through brushing, healthy diet and regular dental checkups when they become adults and have to take responsibility for their own oral health.

Without this appreciation for good oral care, children are at risk of growing up with poor habits, such as skipping brushing their teeth. Worse, they might even develop a fear of the dentist due to frequent dental procedures as a child. 

Growing up with a fear of the dentist can turn into a lifetime of avoiding the dentist – and this could have disastrous consequences for the teeth and gums.

In this article, we’re looking at Leigh Dental Centre’s top tips to ensure that your children grow up with good dental habits, helping to keep their smile healthy for a lifetime.

Lead by example

Ideally, your toddler should see you brush your teeth in the morning and evening. If you normally do this while they are in bed, try to alter your routine and make brushing a family occasion. 

This may mean you brush your teeth more than twice a day, but this can only help to further improve your oral hygiene. You can even let your children help you brush your teeth just like you help them!

Always supervise children when they brush their teeth to make sure that they cover all surfaces and also spit at the end rather than swallowing. Ask your child if you can start the brushing and then let them finish. 

Start by distributing the toothpaste over all of their teeth before you start to focus on each quadrant. Your child can finish brushing so they can start to get used to controlling the brush. As they get older, they can start and finish the process themselves.

You can use plaque disclosing tablets as a fun way to check if they have reached all areas of their mouth. This will give you the confidence to know that they are ready to handle brushing on their own.

Choose the right tools and products

While you might brush your teeth together, you don’t have to use the same products. Children’s toothpaste tastes milder than adult toothpaste, which can help to encourage them to brush their teeth. Mild mint and strawberry are popular choices.

All children up to the age of three should have toothpaste with a fluoride level of at least 1000 ppm. Older children should have toothpaste with a fluoride level between 1350 ppm and 1500 ppm.

Make it fun

Why not link brushing their teeth to a story incorporating the knight (the toothbrush) and the goblins (bacteria) in an epic struggle in the mine (their mouth)? They will need to keep their mouth open so you can fully see all the characters and ensure that good triumphs over evil.

You could also play one of the many toothbrushing songs available online or one of their favourite songs to ensure that they brush for two minutes. 

This will ensure that from a young age, your children understand how long they need to brush their teeth to ensure that they remove all the plaque.

Show what’s being missed

Using disclosing tablets once a month can provide a great visual aid, to show those areas that are being missed. By joining in you can show that everyone misses spots sometimes, but with a good brushing technique, all areas can be cleaned.

Incorporate technology

An electric toothbrush can be a great way to motivate children to brush their teeth. Many now include their favourite cartoon characters and also incorporate a timer to ensure they brush for two minutes.

The newest technology will also link their toothbrush to specially designed apps which track how often they brush their teeth, for how long and how effectively they brush. Let them take this to their dentist so they can show how well they have been taking care of their teeth.

Even if you do not have an electric toothbrush there are a number of apps that can be used to track how often you brush your teeth.

Attend regular dental appointments

Studies have shown that a child’s fear of the dentist is directly linked to their parent’s behaviour towards dental visits. By making sure that you bring your child in for appointments from a young age they can learn that there is nothing to fear from the dental chair.

To begin with, the dentist will simply get them to sit in the dental chair, first with a parent or guardian and then on their own. They may also ask if the child will open their mouth. This helps to build confidence and reduces any fear associated with the dentist. 

Baby teeth will begin to emerge at around 6 months and a child will have a full set of teeth by the time they are two and a half. You can start to visit the dentist as soon as their first baby tooth emerges. This early exposure to the dental environment can help to prevent fears developing later in life.

More tips to help children protect their smile

Alongside brushing daily and visiting the dentist, there are lots of ways you can support your child’s oral health. Children shouldn’t be left to make too many decisions about things like diet. 

Children have a preference for sweet things, so they need to be steered towards healthy choices, sometimes by the parent being ​“the bad guy”. By delaying the time that your child is first introduced to sweet treats, you can buy yourself some time, as your child won’t know that they are missing out.

And once sweet treats have been introduced, you can limit them to occasional treats rather than an everyday event. This will help to keep them ​“special” in your child’s eyes.

Here are some further tips for helping to teach your child good oral health habits:

Reduce the amount and frequency of sugary foods and drinks

It is important to keep sugary foods and drinks for mealtimes, helping to protect your child’s teeth from frequent sugar exposure that can lead to tooth decay. One of the best ways to do this is to stop giving your child fizzy drinks or cordial and only give water as an option. This will help to reduce the importance of sweet things in their lives. 

Wear a mouthguard when playing sport

Wearing a mouthguard while playing sports can help to protect your teeth from damage. As your child gets older, they need to be fitted with a professional mouth guard if they are going to play contact sports. 

Your child can pick a bright colour that will help to make the process more fun. You can also point out professional athletes who wear these so that they can see the benefits. 

Consider fluoride varnish applications

Fluoride varnish provides extra protection against tooth decay when used in addition to brushing. Fluoride varnish is a pale-yellow gel that sets quickly when applied to children’s teeth using a soft brush. 

The varnish sets quickly, and has a pleasant taste and a fruity smell. Scientific studies have shown that fluoride varnish gives added protection to teeth against decay when used in addition to brushing teeth regularly with fluoride toothpaste.

Spit don’t rinse

After toothbrushing just spit out your toothpaste. Do not rinse your mouth as this will wash away the fluoride protection. It’s important that children are taught to spit and not swallow their toothpaste, as this will reduce the risk of stomach problems from excessive fluoride intake.

Final thoughts on teaching good dental health habits

If you would like more help and advice with regard to tooth brushing for children do not hesitate to ask the dentist when you next visit. Call Leigh Dental Centre today on 01702 472929 and book a consultation.