(757) 483-6297
Patient Forms
Compassion, Quality, Innovation, Esthetics
Proudly serving our community for over 40 years Portsmouth, Suffolk, Chesapeake

Home/Blog / 10 Tips to Getting Kids to Be Better Brushers (and Save You Money in the Process)

10 Tips to Getting Kids to Be Better Brushers (and Save You Money in the Process)

“Brush your teeth!”

“Go back and brush again!”

If you’re a parent, you’ve found yourself repeating these instructions over and over to your children. In this post, we’ve got 10 tips to help you get your kids to be better brushers. And, hey, that saves you money in the long run!

February is Children’s Dental Health Month, an entire month dedicated to encouraging children to improve and maintain good oral hygiene. Instilling good dental habits in your children while they are young will help reduce cavities and the chance of gum disease. Plus, when your kids brush and floss regularly, they’ll take away some of the fear of going to the dentist.

Here are some tips to help you help your children develop good oral hygiene habits that will last a lifetime.

  1. Use Listerine Cool Blue mouth rinse. It allows your child to see residual plaque on her teeth after brushing.
  2. Use an electric toothbrush. There are lots to choose from, including battery operated and rechargeable brushes. These brushes have 2-minute timers, apps to help track brushing, and some even play music!
  3. Pick up some handheld animal shaped flossers. These are helpful for children who are learning to floss. Make a sticker chart. Charts are always fun for kids to help them track their progress. Plus, you can give your kids an incentive: consider offering a prize when they get a certain number of stickers.

Here are some specific tips for children at various life stages:

  1. Before teeth come in. Gently wipe your child’s gums with a clean, soft cloth after each feeding.
  2. At the first sign of primary teeth. Use a soft infant toothbrush gently on your child’s teeth. Use a smear of training toothpaste the size of a grain of rice.
  3. Ages 2-3. Train your child to spit out training toothpaste. You will need to continue brushing your child’s teeth.
  4. Ages 4-5. Allow your child to practice brushing and flossing her own teeth. You will need to follow up with brushing. If your child is able to spit, begin using fluoridated toothpaste.
  5. Ages 6-7. By this age, your child is typically ready to brush her own teeth with your supervision
  6. Ages 8-9. Your child should now be able to brush and floss by herself. Periodic parental evaluation is strongly recommended.

For more fun tips and activities to help your child, visit www.2min2x.org. If you have any questions or need to schedule an appointment for your child, please call us at 757-483-6297.