When are your kids supposed to sleep, how long are they meant to sleep, what do they eat, how to get your kids on a good dental routine, and all the many anxieties about poop (What color is the poop? What texture was the poop? What consistency was the poop? Why so many questions about poop?) The list of anxieties we gain when becoming a parent is longer than a CVS receipt.
Let’s shove those anxieties into a drawer for a minute and talk about some easy, fun things you can do to help get your kids on a good dental routine. I’ll leave the anxiety-inducing facts out of this, and shoot just for the fun stuff.
Ways to make dental hygiene fun for your kids:
- Let them choose their own toothbrush. With so many colors and themes available, picking a toothbrush can be as exciting as picking out their new toy
- Make brushing your teeth a 2-minute game. Kids love showing off how good they are, and their little minds become more and more competitive. Challenge them to see who can brush their teeth the longest in a 2-minute timespan.
- Keep a star chart in the bathroom to reward good dental hygiene. This method is stolen directly from every kindergarten teacher in the world, but it works! Allow them to see progress and achievements every morning, and think of something you can do as a family after they’ve reached a set amount of stars
- Follow the dental visit up with a fun activity. Do you want to know how I trained my dog to love visits to the vet? By immediately following them up with a visit to McDonald’s drive-thru for a plain hamburger. Use this Pavlov’s dog science-backed method to teach your kid that dentist days are the best days
- Don’t diss us, man. I don’t know any other profession that gets told they’re hated more than we do. We have thick skin, and we can take it, but make sure that kind of talk is kept from children. They learn to love and hate the same things you do, mom and dad!
- And finally, pick a dentist that knows how to care for your kids. Becoming a dentist doesn’t automatically make someone great with children…so be sure to choose a dentist that’s right for your kids. It might not always be the same dentist you use, but it definitely helps calm their anxieties if it is.
Kids kind of love us ?
Just look at the review of one of our patients below! Contact Cherry Hill Dentistry today to schedule a time for you and your kids to fall in love with your dentist ?
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