10 Best Ways to Develop Good Dental Habits In Your Child

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”

You must have heard the quote, “Practice makes a man perfect,” 

Practice can make anything possible, whether it be an impossible task or just a minor act of self-care. In the same way, all the things that you teach your kid to do regularly eventually become their habit. And once your kid imbibes themselves into practicing good self-care habits in your presence, it becomes beneficial in the long run.

As a parent, one should be careful to teach good habits to their child, regardless of what habits are good or bad. And one such habit that you must imbibe in your child is good dental hygiene. But the question is, what’s the right way to help your child build healthy dental habits. Well, this blog uncovers all your questions. First, let’s get started with why you should take care of your kid’s dental health. 

Why Is Dental Health Important For Kids?

Kids need special attention towards their dental health as it is the initial stage toward a smiling future. Therefore, it is highly required to maintain good dental health in the initial years. 

Later, when they learn to take care of their oral health, you don’t need to be focused on your kid’s oral health. 

Good dental habits are very fruitful in the long run when practiced from the beginning. An emphasis on oral health should be placed first in the list of self-care activities for kids. And the below facts will blow your mind:

1. At least 20{ac2a009b1ab48831539664612c3590d3a3d8d03cf5106270341ad20ec3b355a9} of children aged 5 to 11 have a decayed tooth.
2. And, 1 in 7 adolescents aged 12-19 (13{ac2a009b1ab48831539664612c3590d3a3d8d03cf5106270341ad20ec3b355a9}) was recorded with at least one decayed tooth. 

Without proper care, the child may get tooth decay in the early stages, including:

• Painful teeth and gums
• Gum diseases and inflammation
• Difficulty in chewing, sleeping, and eating
• Problem while smiling and talking

However, when a child is given proper instructions regarding their dental health, there are low chances of getting any dental issues later on.

How To Build Good Oral Habits In Your Kid Quickly?

The below-mentioned points would help you develop good habits in your children.

• Teach basics
• Be a role model for them
• Always remain positive
• Trust your kid
• Give rewards regularly

Following these points will help you build good habits in your child. You need to be extra careful with these minute things in life.

10 Best Ways to Develop Good Dental Habits In Your Child

As you know the importance of dental health in life, you must understand that these habits must be started early. Otherwise, you have to regret later for these mistakes. Therefore, the following ten ways would help you build good dental practices in your child so that they won’t have to regret them later.

#1. Start Timely

Starting early is very critical, especially for children. The sooner you introduce your child to a daily dental routine, the better. As soon as you begin early, future dental problems reduce day by day. 

In the initial birth years, up to 2 years, you can use a cotton cloth and warm water to clean their mouth after every meal. 

After this, you can start using a fluoride toothpaste for 2.5 or 3 years. Most primary teeth appear at this age. 

#2. Be a Role Model

As said earlier, your child leads by your example; you need to become a role model for them. Therefore, the best thing you can do for your child’s dental health is to follow the same dental routine for yourself. 

When your child sees you following all those care and routines for your teeth, they will gradually start picking up things from you. 

To have good dental health, you can start by brushing your teeth in the morning along with your child. Then you can also show them how to use floss and mouthwash. 

#3. Loosen Up The Process

When teaching your kids these processes, you should loosen up a little and not be too harsh about it. You need to make the process very easy on them to grab it better. 

Even if they aren’t following you, you need to make them understand how critical their dental health is. You need to show them through made-up stories of animals or kings and demons. Kids are more able to relate to stories. Stories are an excellent way to teach them. 

Another thing you can do to make it easy is organize everything for them. For example, you can put all the dental supplies on a small stool while they go to the washroom. 

Kids would find it easy to care about their dental health in these ways. 

#4. Make Them Enjoy The Process

As you know, kids require fun and enjoyment in everything they do. Whether they are eating or sleeping, kids need some fun elements. For example, they need bedtime stories while going to sleep.

There are many ways to add fun to brushing. One option is to play music or do some light dancing, keeping things a little more exciting, and you can also make a game based on their brushing. Those with the cleanest teeth will get one extra hour of playing or a bedtime story.

These things would make dental hygiene fun for kids. This way, they are more likely to pick up these habits. 

#5. Use Child-Specific Dental Products

Many child-friendly dental products are available in the market. You can buy small toothpaste with pictures of animals or cartoons. Tongue cleaner also comes in many different designs.

Some kinds of toothbrushes light up and “talk” to kids about their dental health in the form of funny voices. These things encourage kids to brush their teeth regularly and use those beautiful products repeatedly.

Also, don’t forget to change their toothbrush from time to time. Otherwise, they may get bored of using the same for a long time.

#6. Teach Your Kids To Eat Healthy Food

Dental health is very much related to food. You need to maintain sugar, starch, and processed food intake. As excessive consumption of chocolates and sweets can ruin teeth.

To make a habit of eating healthy and balanced food, teach these things from the start itself. In this way, they will continue to eat healthy food in the future too. 

Try to feed them homemade food and ask them to wash their mouth after every meal or breakfast, especially after having sweet items. And avoid providing them with very cold or scorching food items. This may have sensitivity effects on them. 

#7. Make Friendly Dentist Appointments

If you have a family dentist, it’s well and good. Otherwise, you can have the same dentist for a long time. Changing dentists frequently may not have a practical effect on your kid. 

With the family visits, kids feel more relatable, and it’s easy to get them checked up. Try to schedule appointments for everyone at the same time. Otherwise, they may not get ready to have a check. 

This would show your kid that everyone goes to the dentist, and they aren’t alone in this. In this way, kids won’t have any fear of a dentist; otherwise, most kids fear the dentist. 

#8. Make Goals

Goals motivate everyone to achieve more, whether it be children or adults. Goals have the same effect on everyone. Therefore, setting goals for your children can keep them motivated for a long time. 

Tracking daily progress and getting closer to goals day by day builds good lifetime habits. You can set small goals for your child, and once they achieve them, move on to the next step. Having this way to make a habit can be very fruitful for dental habits and good habits. 

You can make a chalk mark on the mirror or a wall to track the time they brush. The kid can also do the same for themselves. Seeing that little progress will have a significant impact on them.  

#9. Reward Them After Every Milestone

Children love rewards; they just love them no matter what they get. Children wait for these rewards, whether they get an “A+” in homework or a start for good handwriting. 

Giving them frequent rewards while they follow their dental care routine is a great way to get them started. Once they know they will be getting a reward after completing an activity, it motivates them to complete the activity as soon as possible. 

A great reward can be that you will allow them to choose their next toothbrush or toothpaste. Therefore, you can think of some fun rewards for them after completing each milestone in their dental care journey. 

#10. Entertain And Educate

Teaching dental habits need not be done in the washroom only. Learning is a lifelong process that takes a lot of them. Therefore, you and your kid need to have some patience to develop a habit.

As a parent, you need to remember not to educate your kid. They are part of a journey. Therefore, forgive them when they make mistakes.

As a child, they are curious to know about everything surrounding them. In this case, you need to teach them about everything patiently so that they can grab things quickly and easily. 

Frequently Asked Question

To Sum Up

Building the proper dental habit will keep your child’s future bright and glowing. Following dental hygiene habits from a young age will ensure their teeth remain free from cavities or gum diseases like gingivitis. 

To ensure that your kid loves brushing their teeth twice a day, you need to find the right way that fits your kid’s taste and keep experimenting till you find the right one. 

In the end, it all boils down to how you help them imbibe this healthy oral hygiene.

For a happy, healthy smile!!