Thursday, April 14, 2016

3 Tips to Get Your Kids to Floss

It is important to start oral care at an early age. Teaching your children proper oral hygiene can be a difficult process to go through. Fortunately, this article will cover 3 tips on how to get your kids to floss.
 
Make It Fun
  • Choose short, snappy songs to play during flossing time. Find a steady but slow beat (flossing back and forth too fast can damage gums) to help kids move their hands in time to the floss. In the beginning, you'll want them to get comfortable with the floss against their teeth and gums, but as kids get used to flossing, make sure they're using the proper technique.
  • Kids love a battle between good and evil. What better way to grab their attention than to make up an adventure story involving evil bacteria and the mighty power of floss. The best part about this story is they get to control the hero by, you guessed it, flossing!
  • Kids love to look in their mouths, so use that curiosity to your advantage. Help your children learn to count their teeth while flossing. Since little kids have 20 teeth in their mouths, flossing can help them learn to count up to what sounds like a huge number to them. Source: HowStuffWorks
 
Let Them Pick out Accessories
One simple way to pique your kid’s interest in dental health is to let them choose their own toothpaste, toothbrush and floss. Children’s toothpaste comes in an array of flavors and varieties. Let them pick out a few different ones that they can test out. They’ll get excited about the purchase, as well as the brushing and flossing they’ll do later. Source: DeltaDental
 
Show Them the Way
Before school age (even after for many kids) children likely aren’t brushing or flossing well, says Hulland: “They lack the consciousness and coordination to do a good job.” They’ll brush along the biting surface, for instance, but not where the teeth meet the gum. At this stage, parents need to brush their child’s teeth or do it with them (i.e. your hand over the child’s). The same with flossing, which should start as soon as there’s no space between the baby teeth. Another way to motivate them: Let children watch you brush and floss too (you can even do it at the same time) to remind them of its importance and the proper technique. Source: ReadersDigest
 
 Learning good oral hygiene habits at a young age is important for long-term oral health. If you want to know more about good oral hygiene habits for your kids, please give us a call!
 
Contact:
Sound Smiles Pediatric Dentistry
1628 S Mildred St. #201 Tacoma, WA 98465, United States
(253) 448-8140 


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