Brushing our teeth like anything we do routinely we can sometimes find ourselves falling into some less than good practices.This can be the case when it comes to encouraging our children to brush and floss every day to maintain healthy teeth and gums.
How much time
Two minutes twice a day and following the nightly brushing by flossing is recommended for everyone to spend brushing. Most adults don’t spend enough time brushing and still you want to teach your children better habits when it comes to their teeth.Should you use a timer
It’s hard to teach good dental habits and can be a big pain encouraging your children to brush and floss twice a day.But should you be timing them, there could be a definite benefit to using a stopwatch. Children tend to take their time in the morning, getting dressed and packing their backpack so may rush through their brushing when time gets short. Parents will handle each child differently when it comes to making sure they brush long enough to clean their teeth properly.Toddlers Parents will still be supervising the very young child, think about adapting one of their favourite songs changing the words to sing about their teeth. Make it fun and add enough verses to be two minutes long.
Older children You may not want to sing to a 9 year old so get a timer to sit on the bathroom counter. They may not always use it so set it yourself occasionally and check in to see if they are spending adequate time brushing.
Teens Older kids want their independence so investing in an electric toothbrush with a built in timer will help them spend enough time brushing.
The proper technique is as important as the amount of time to be sure all areas are covered. Children mimic so setting a good example and consider brushing together, as an adult have you timed yourself lately? Along with brushing and flossing limit the number of times you eat snacks each day and schedule regular checkups with your pediatric dentist in Vancouver every six months.
