I bet your child likes to stuff sugary snacks into their mouth every chance they get. It’s sometimes hard to say no, even though you know it’s wrong. You don’t want them to miss out on anything their friends enjoy.
Letting your child have an occasional treat is fine, but you must ensure they look after their teeth properly. It’s a skill they’ll need for the rest of their life, so let’s look at a few tips you shouldn’t forget.
- Spitting Is Better Than Rinsing
If you speak to the best pediatric dentist North York, Toronto has to offer, they’ll tell you spitting is better than rinsing. When you were young, it’s likely your parents taught you to rinse your mouth after brushing.
Doing this will result in all the toothpaste disappearing from your child’s teeth, which is the exact opposite of what you want. Once they spit any leftover toothpaste out, there will still be some sitting on their teeth.
- Giving Your Child A Nice Reward
Your child will probably need to undergo wisdom teeth removal surgery in the future, but it’s the only teeth you want them to lose. If possible, they’ll be able to keep all their other adult teeth for as long as possible.
For that to happen, they’ll have to enjoy brushing. You’ll need to drill into them that it’s crucial, which you can do with rewards. If they clean their teeth properly, read to them for five more minutes at night.
- Make Sure They Floss Their Teeth
Some parents think brushing is enough for a small child, so they decide to skip flossing altogether. Indeed, you don’t need to floss early on, but you should start doing it the moment two of their teeth tough together.
Your child will likely find it easier to use some of the cool flossing gadgets available today. It’s not easy for a youngster to use normal floss. Let them use whatever is easiest until they’re old enough to use anything.
- Brushing While Listening To Songs
It’s a good idea to play your child’s favorite songs while they’re brushing. Find some that last for a couple of minutes. When you brush your teeth, it’s good to aim for two minutes to ensure you don’t miss anything.
Your child will get into the habit of brushing their teeth for a few minutes, which won’t go away once they’re older. If you try to make them brush for two minutes without music, it won’t take long before they lose interest.
- Take Turns To Brush Their Teeth
It’s fine brushing your child’s teeth when they’re very young. You can’t expect them to clean their teeth when they can’t even hold a toothbrush. Just make sure you let them take a turn once they’re old enough.
You can’t let them do everything on their own because they’ll probably miss something. Just go over their teeth when they’re finished. Once they reach around eight years old, you’ll probably be able to stop helping.
It’s Worth It In The Long Run
If your child has a beautiful smile when they grow up, they’ll appreciate all your hard work. It will have a huge impact on the quality of their life.