As a parent, one of your goals is for all of your family to maintain excellent dental health. Therefore, you depend on your family dentist in Virginia Beach to guide your children to that reality and help you in encouraging better oral care practices. As you continue reading, you’ll learn some effective strategies that you can use to prevent oral problems and create an environment of excellent dental health.
5 Tips for Encouraging Excellent Oral Hygiene
You understand, very well, the importance of practicing excellent oral hygiene, but getting your children to buy in can be challenging. Here are some tips that will help out:
- Helpful Reminders – It’s natural for your children to forget things, including brushing their teeth consistently. One technique you can try is to use fun bedtime routines to help out. For example, you can create a chart for pre-bedtime tasks, which should include brushing. Every time your little ones complete one of the tasks correctly, you can place a star or use some other way of denoting completion.
- Engagement Means Execution – Another way of getting your children to buy into oral hygiene, is to get them involved in the process early. Thus, when you’re shopping for toothpaste and toothbrushes, involve your children. Maybe there’s a certain character that they like or particular theme. By choosing the tools of their liking, they’ll be more apt to practice oral care.
- Apps for Kids – It’s no secret that kids love technology, so you can use apps to keep them interested and excited about practicing excellent oral hygiene. They can learn lessons about the importance of oral care as the software keeps track of when and how long they brush, informing them in a fun and engaging way.
- Visit Your Dentist – Still, nothing beats visiting your dentist to receive professional care. Along with being able to monitor the development of your children’s teeth and clean them, your dentist will also aid in encouraging your little ones to be more involved in the process.
- A Reward System – Finally, you can use a system that periodically rewards your children for their efforts. Identify something that they really enjoy and reserve it for times when you reward them for being consistent and efficient in their dental hygiene practices. The ultimate goal, of course, is to encourage them to either improve or maintain their habits.
Why Oral Hygiene is So Important
It is very important to incorporate a sense of responsibility in your children regarding their oral care. This is because many dental problems start in childhood and hinge on the growth of bacteria and plaque. Thus, if your kiddos learn early to take a stand for their health by brushing and flossing properly, then these habits will carry over well into adulthood.
To get the professional assistance you need in maintaining your family’s oral health, reach out to your family dentist in Virginia Beach today!
About the Author
For a decade, Dr. Stephanie L. Santos has been providing her patients with compassionate and expert care. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, she maintains professional affiliations that help her continue to grow and effectively treat patients at Smile by Design. Dr. Santos can be reached for more information through her website.