Four Tips To Get Kids On Board With Flossing
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.
