If you’re of a certain age, you may have heard your parents – or even yourself – humming this tune. (Although it may not be as passé as we feared, for Elmo and Michael Bublé provided a delightful rendition of the 1944 novelty song as recently as 2012.) Or you may have sung it to your 7-year-old child when he lost those two front baby teeth.
But if that cute kid grows up without taking proper care of his teeth, he could lose his adult teeth when older…and that definitely wouldn’t be an adorable sight to see.
So how can you help your young child understand how important it is to practice good oral hygiene habits now and long into the future?
We’ve put together a short list of some tips you could try. Take a look below.
1. The earlier you start talking to your child about taking care of his teeth, the better.
How early is best? Toddler-age. You’ll still be helping to physically brush your child’s teeth when he is 2 or 3, so make sure you make it a regular part of his routine each morning and evening. Talk to him about why it’s important and how easy it is to keep a healthy and bright smile.
2. Practice good oral hygiene habits yourself.
Children do as you do and much more so than what you say. They are watching you constantly and if you don’t make a habit of brushing/flossing and going to the dentist for checkups, they’ll balk big time at having to do so themselves.
3. Don’t talk about what a pain it is to go the dentist.
You always should say how you’re looking forward to going and discussing how you’re doing with your own oral health with the dentist. Even if you’re afraid yourself of the dentist and truly do loathe having to go, go! And be calm about it when speaking with your children. (And be sure to talk to your dentist about your anxiety. He has ways of helping lessen your fear and anxiety.)
4. Consider going as a family for your regular checkups.
Making it a family affair shows that the entire family thinks enough about these checkups to go as a unit. In addition, you can make the outing even more enjoyable by heading to a movie afterward, or going out for lunch/dinner. (Skip the sweets, of course!)
5. If you discover you have a cavity or need dental work, talk to your child about it.
Let your child know that it’s your own fault you have a cavity or otherwise need dental work. You know what you should have done better – you should have brushed/flossed more, or and not eaten all those sweets – and you promise to take better care of your teeth from here on out.
Then, when you return from your next checkup without any issues, make sure you let your child know that your dental habits are the reason for this “good” checkup.
6. As your child ages, talk to him about gum disease, tooth loss, etc.
There’s probably someone in your family or close circle of friends who has lost one or more teeth. Gently, and without disparaging the individual, explain that he or she more than likely could have prevented the problem just by brushing/flossing/seeing a dentist regularly.
7. Praise your child for his good oral hygiene habits.
As your child continues to practice good dental habits, congratulate him on his hard work and remind him that if he keeps it up, he should be able to keep all his teeth for the rest of his life.
Image courtesy of imagerymajestic/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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