From the moment your child’s first tooth appears, parents are encouraged to start brushing their little one's teeth. From that time on, it becomes a part of their everyday routine for the rest of their lives!
We are regularly reminded about the importance of dental hygiene - whether it’s through health promotion, our own dentist, school or through advertising. As most parents know, getting your child to brush their teeth is often easier said than done. For many, it’s met with resistance and, for some, all-out war - not something we want to be dealing with just before bed. Once mastered, brushing their teeth becomes a very natural part of the daily routine for children and the entire family; it’s firstly about getting there!
Keep teeth brushing as part of the routine
As we know, routine on a day-to-day basis is what keeps things working, whether it’s at home, school or crèche. To keep that momentum going, including teeth-brushing as a given task is no different.
Be firm; avoid asking your child the question, 'Will you please brush your teeth?’ but replace it with ‘It’s time to brush your teeth’. If it’s something you are working on with your child, make sure to give subtle but clear reminders that it is nearly bed time, and name each step of what they need to do to get ready – including their teeth!
Distraction and making teeth brushing fun
Distraction works really well with smaller children; older children, on the other hand, need a little more encouragement, something they can invest in.
Part of our children growing up is allowing them to explore being more independent, so start with getting them involved. Encourage your toddler to pick a fun-coloured, soft brush and fruit flavoured toothpaste. Allow them put the toothpaste on the brush. Once a toddler takes interest in their toothbrush, allow them to hold one in their hand while you use the other to brush with.
Create a story about their mouth being their house! As you brush from top to bottom, pretend that each part of their mouth is the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and sitting room. Describing how you are cleaning each room in the house really works if you let yourself be both creative and expressive!
Children love admiring themselves in the mirror, too! Encouraging your child to watch themselves brush can be a great distraction. Let them see the toothpaste foam up in their mouth; children are very visual, and the more they can see while brushing their teeth, the better. A small step in the bathroom will help them see all their pearly whites in the mirror.
Brush your teeth together; let them watch you brush your teeth from an early age, and alongside them. Children love to imitate grown-ups; if they see you brushing your teeth, the chances are they will follow your lead happily.
From egg timers to special teeth-brushing sand timers, counting the time it takes to brush teeth is one way of helping children to stick to it! The recommended time is about two minutes for the older child – roughly the amount of time it takes to hum or sing the tune to Happy Birthday three times! Another way is to download a dental timer app to your phone; they simply guide your child through how to brush their teeth as well as a two-minute countdown to their favourite song – this is a winner in our house!
Praise and co-operation
I do write a lot about praising and encouragement in many parenting scenarios. What’s important is to pick your moments, as opposed to praising your child for every single thing they do. Letting them know that you see the effort they are making can encourage them greatly to keep going: “Wow, your teeth look beautiful! You’re doing a great job at brushing”.
The next step
Generally, the first public visit to the dentist through the health service is when a child is in second class of primary school. You don’t have to wait until then, though. Next time you are attending the dentist yourself for a routine check-up, encourage your child to sit in the dentist chair; allow the dentist to count their teeth. Encouragement from the dentist on the importance of brushing teeth can be valuable to your child, as opposed to only listening to Mum and Dad all the time.
If you still find your child resisting brushing their teeth, avoid feeding into the behaviour. What you don’t want to happen is there to be a negative association to brushing teeth. Sometimes, we anticipate the argument before it has even started! Be consistent, and remember to work teeth-brushing into your daily routine, morning and night-time. Remember to chat about brushing teeth during the day, when there are no expectations or pressure. The more relaxed you make it, the less of a chore it will be.
Aoife Lee, Parent Coach for Giraffe Childcare
