Teaching Your Child to Brush and Floss

It’s never too early to guide great oral health habits. Teaching your child to brush and floss twice a day is an invaluable habit that will help your child beam with pride and lead to a life of optimum oral health! Here are few tips to help brushing and flossing become a rewarding and exciting part of your child’s day:

Make it Fun

Brushing and flossing together can be a sweet and fun opportunity for your little one to enjoy taking care of their smile everyday. Whip out your toothbrushes and put on a 2 minute song to rock out to together! Take them out to pick a toothbrush decorated with a character they love, or in their current favorite color. Use toothpaste in kid-friendly flavors, like watermelon or bubblegum. Floss together and uplift your child with words of encouragement after they successfully clean each tooth. Simple, yet creative steps can go a long way in making brushing and flossing routines more fun!

Create a Reward System

Encourage your child to feel confident and accomplished in caring for their health by creating a rewards system. Craft a chart together where your little one can place a sticker after properly brushing and flossing everyday. After they’ve brushed and flossed twice a day for the entire week, treat your child to a simple reward they’ll be excited about!

Step by Step for Brushing

Proper brushing is essential for a flourishing smile! Teach your child to take pride in their smile with these 3 simple steps:

Step 1: Use a toothbrush specifically designed to fit little smiles. By using a toothbrush with a smaller head, your child can clean those hard-to-reach spots and brush with optimum comfortability.

Step 2: Add a little water to their toothbrush and, using a pea-sized amount of kid-friendly toothpaste, teach your child to brush their smile with gentle, side-to-side movements.

Step 3: Don’t forget to help them carefully brush their tongue! The tongue harbors bacteria that can cause bad breath and tooth decay, so it’s important to remind young brushers to gently clean their tongues as well.

Step by Step for Flossing

Help your child gently remove plaque and other harmful bacteria hidden in-between pearly whites with these 3 simple steps:

Step 1: To begin, guide your child to use approximately 15-18 inches of floss. 

Step 2: Lightly wrap the ends of the floss around their index finger. Using floss designed just for little hands is especially helpful in making this step a breeze.

Step 3: Gently glide the floss between and around the entirety of each tooth and below the gumline, creating a “C” on the side of each tooth. Make sure to avoid damaging sensitive gum tissue by harsh snapping.

Have a Question? Call Us Today!

At Pediatric Dental World, we’re here to help Highland Village families achieve best practices when it comes to taking care of their children’s smiles. If you have any questions about helping your child properly brush and floss, our knowledgeable team is always happy to help! You can reach us at (972) 317-6997.

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