If you’re reading an article called “How to Brush Your Teeth for Kids,” my guess is that your little ones are ready for some serious oral hygiene. You made it through the first few months of child rearing and think you have it down…Then, that first little tooth appears.
“What do I do?” you ask. How do you keep that little pearl of a tooth clean and cavity-free?b
In this article, we’ll cover both when and how to brush your kid’s teeth (correctly, that is). But even more importantly, I’ll talk about the way to instill brushing in your child’s mind as a fun, lifelong habit.
Plus, I’ll break it down by age, since a two-year-old needs a different approach than a 12-year-old.
How do I look after my child’s teeth?
Before we get into the “how” to brush your teeth for kids, let’s define what it means to look after your child’s teeth.
Why? Because brushing part is secondary to something much more important:
How your child learns to brush now affects your child’s relationship with dental health for the rest of their life.
Sound dramatic? It’s not. I’ve seen kids come into my office traumatized just because of what the toothbrush signified at home.
Here’s what you don’t want: You don’t want the toothbrush to come out and for your kids to want to run away from this thing that invades a sensitive part of their body. Sadly, there are many kids that think, “Hey, this is a fun game where my parents really want me to do something! I’ll run away and make it torture for them.”
I believe you can’t force anyone do anything—especially kids.
The idea is to teach the “how to brush your teeth: for kids” lesson in such a way that makes it fun! Your little one is much more likely to love their brushing habit if it brings joy to his or her day.
Clearly, it’s important to get this right. Here’s another piece of encouragement: It’s okay to sacrifice a “perfect” brushing job in order to make the experience really positive for your kids. If it means getting it right one day, it’s worth it.
While technique matters and should be developed over time, the experience is what matters most at first. Ideally, you’ll also be using supplements to heal cavities alongside with these brushing habits (and keeping your child’s regular dental appointments). Those are just a couple of ways you can both protect your child from cavities while…
