Dental News

4 Steps to Teaching Your Child Good Oral Hygiene Habits

November 8, 2018

4 Steps to Teaching Your Child Good Oral Hygiene Habits

If you teach your children good oral hygiene habits when they are young, they will be more likely to have good oral hygiene habits as they age. If they do not take care of their teeth, they could end up with permanently damaged teeth and serious gum issues. At California Dental Group we are proud to offer family dentistry and are here to help offer four steps to encouraging good oral hygiene in your kids.

  1. Start early
  2. You do not even have to wait for your kids to have teeth before you start teaching them about oral hygiene. You can buy a baby toothbrush designed to brush the gums. When your baby begins teething, you can apply pain relief to their gums. When you establish these methods of caring for teeth and gums, your child is more likely to have a lifelong positive habit of positive oral hygiene.

  3. Promote consistency
  4. One of the most important things to do with kids is to promote consistency. Anytime you are teaching your child something new, you want to be consistent day after day. If you apply consistent rules then they will soon quit pushing back against them, because they will know they are expected to brush and floss as you require.

  5. Be the model for good oral health
  6. Believe it or not, your kids are always watching – and they are learning a lot from what you do. Let them see you preform good oral health habits. When you brush and floss, let them come into the bathroom with you. Talk to them about going to the dentist so they know you get your regular checkups and dental exams.

  7. Bring your children to the dentist as planned
  8. The truth is that some kids – and some adults – are afraid of the dentist. However, keep in mind that this is a learned behavior. Kids may see something on TV or in a movie that makes them afraid of the dentist. They may hear stories. But if you have exposed them to the dentist early, and get them to their appointments twice a year as suggested, they can form their own positive bonds with their dentist.

Talking to the dentist twice a year has another positive result – it lowers the chances that they will have to deal with serious oral health issues. If they keep their teeth in good health, then they will continue to have nothing but positive experiences with the dentist. Compare this to a situation in which they need to have complex and potentially painful dental procedures. It’s easy to see that less pain would result in a better feeling about the dentist.

If your child has gotten their first tooth then it is time to visit the dentist. Make an appointment by contacting California Dental Group at (800) 407-0161. We are here to help you keep your entire family’s teeth and gums healthy.

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