Four Tips To Get Kids On Board With Flossing

20 October 2015
Categories: Health & Medical , Blog

One of things that dentists will tell all of their patients to do is to keep up on flossing. If you can instill good habits in your kids from a young age, this won't be such a struggle later on. Here are four tips to get your kids excited about flossing and make this part of their dental care routine for years to come.

1. Have the Dentist Talk With Children

A good way to get your child started out on the right foot is to have the dentist discuss the importance of flossing with your child. Sometimes having a professional outline the same point that you may have given your child will make a difference. Pediatric dentists can give flossing tips, explain the need for long term gum care, and even show photos of extreme cases of gum disease patients as a precaution.

2. Get Your Family on Board

It is important that everyone in your house is flossing if you want to make a good impression on your kids. Make sure that you and your spouse are practicing good oral care techniques so that your kids have good examples to follow. If dad isn't taking his dental routine seriously, it will be harder to convince kids about the importance of regular brushing and flossing.

3. Have Cool Dental Supplies Available

There are plenty of different types of flossing aids on the market today. From to-go flossers with handles to small flossing brushes, there are different products that your child can try out. While traditional flossing may be ideal, there are products that your kids can bring with them throughout the day to help keep up with flossing. Let your child pick out their own supplies at the store if you think this would get them motivated with their dental care routine.

4. Try Charts and Goals

For younger kids, getting a routine going and just remembering to floss will be half the battle. You can make this more fun by setting up a way to track flossing throughout the week. Set up a brushing and flossing calendar in the bathroom that kids can check off their progress daily. You can motivate your kids with small prizes at the end of the week or month as well.

Flossing is an important part of lifelong dental health. If you can get your kids started out with good habits early on, this won't be difficult to keep as a priority into adulthood. Do what you can along with your dentist (like Michael C. Cordora DDS, PLLC) to get your children flossing correctly and on a schedule.

About Me

Having a child on the autism spectrum poses all kinds of unique challenges that can sometimes be very difficult. The sensory issues that often accompany spectrum disorders can mean that even everyday things like taking vitamins may be a serious struggle. For my son, it's both texture and taste that pose challenges for him, which made finding a vitamin supplement very difficult. After experimenting with many different brands, styles, and flavors, I have found what does and doesn't work for various sensory issues that he has. I've created this site to share our experiences in the hopes that it might help other parents with kids on the spectrum to find a vitamin their child will take.