How Often Should My Children Brush their Teeth?

Children Should Brush Teeth More Often than Adults

The two major obstacles causing children to have poor oral health is improper and infrequent brushing, which causes major concerns for parents and caregivers. In a survey put together regarding the oral health of American children, 35 percent of respondents admitted that their child or children brush their teeth less than twice a day. Although almost every respondent reported they do supervise their child’s teeth brushing routine, they do admit that the frequency in which they brush is not enough.

Among the survey respondents who say their children’s health is less than excellent, only slightly over 50 percent say the children brush their teeth for at least two minutes, the amount of time recommended by dentists to get truly clean teeth. Parents often find it challenging to get children interested in brushing their teeth and having them take the time and responsibility for their oral health. Here are some helpful tips that can be used to help children enjoy maintaining their teeth now and in the future.

Get New Tools – For children, anything new can be exciting and the same logic can be applied when it comes to getting them to brush their teeth. Considering purchasing new toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss to help spark your children’s interest in oral health and consider purchasing new tools for yourself as well and showing as much excitement for your oral health as they should show for theirs. Being excited about a brand new toothbrush will have children excited to use them.

Make Brushing Fun – Even though dentists recommend brushing your teeth for two minutes, nothing says it has to be two minutes in a row. Take turns with your children brushing your teeth – they brush for 30 seconds, then you brush for 30 seconds until you have all completed two minutes of brushing. This exchange is fun and keeps children engaged and excited about brushing.

Call in the Reinforcements – If your children are still being overly stubborn about their oral health, call your family dentist and let them know what you are struggling with. They may have some additional suggestions to get your children on board with brushing their teeth or they may encourage you to bring the children into the office to review the importance of oral health. Sometimes, even though the information and message is the same, having a different messenger may make all the difference.

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*Photo Courtesy of makelessnoise via Creative Commons License