How to Make Teeth Cleaning Fun for Children

When it comes to getting children to clean their teeth it can be quite a battle. Most parents are familiar with arguments resulting from the struggle to get their kids ready for school or settled for bed in the evening, and the cheeky faces trying to persuade them that they have brushed their teeth--when it's blatantly obvious they haven't been anywhere near a toothbrush. The fact is that there just isn't time to argue about tooth cleaning, but it's important and children should be encouraged to clean their teeth twice a day from an early age.

Thankfully, there are ways to make teeth cleaning more fun, although this may seem an impossible task at times. Here are some tips to get your child excited about cleaning their teeth:

Enlist the help of cartoon or comic characters

The influence of children's favourite TV, book or film characters is indisputable and this can be a great help in getting children involved in oral hygiene. Many brands such as Crest, Colgate, Aquafresh and Oral B produce oral hygiene products that are adorned with pictures of well-loved characters. You can use this as a basis to make up stories about how the characters brush their teeth and that it is for this reason that they have strong, healthy teeth and gums. Products available for children include:

- Manual and electric toothbrushes

- Toothpaste (in all different colours and flavours)

- Mouthwash

- Dental floss

Reward good behaviour

Most children will do anything for a reward no matter how small it is, so try to make the experience of tooth brushing as rewarding as possible. You can also use this system to prepare them for visits to the dentist. Examples of rewards may include stickers, small toys or a star or point to put on a good behaviour chart.

Brush to a soundtrack

Brushing to music is a great way to ensure your child brushes for the recommended time. Most of us are familiar with kids nonchalantly passing a brush over their teeth and saying they have cleaned their teeth. But as most songs last between 2 and 3 minutes, this is the perfect way to encourage children to brush for longer. Challenge them to continue until the song is finished and let them choose their own bathroom soundtrack.

Let your child use an electric toothbrush

Electric toothbrushes have been proven to remove more plaque than manual toothbrushes, but they are also great fun for kids and a means of making them feel grown-up. You can choose from a range of special children's electric toothbrushes, many of which are brightly coloured and decorated with pictures of animals, spaceships or well-known characters.

Start early

One of the best ways to get children involved in a healthy oral hygiene routine is by starting from an early age. Encourage your child to hold a toothbrush as soon as they can and make sure you are consistent in enforcing teeth cleaning twice a day. Your child will then know that this is a vital part of their daily routine and not something set to spark a war each morning.

If you are having trouble getting your child to brush their teeth, get your dentist to talk to your little one on their next dental check-up. They are more likely to listen to the dentist who can help to explain why brushing is important and what may happen if this isn't maintained.

Teeth cleaning is not the most exciting part of the day, but it can be made fun. All you need to do is use your imagination and teach your child that tooth cleaning is important for their health from an early age.

Learn more about children's teeth and keeping their mouth healthy at the www.braces.org.uk site and discover some tricks of the trade!

Image credit: Jean Pichot on Flickr