Encouraging kids to brush their teeth

We all know it can sometimes be a challenge to get our kids to brush their teeth. It can be something of a chore, it takes time out of their day, and it is just plain boring. Due to this, we have kids that complain about doing it, or just outright refuse to do it. Of course, it is so important that they brush their teeth. Not brushing can obviously cause cavities or tartar, even gingivitis. We do not want that!

One thing that worked great for my son, and I have seen work great for others, are the special tooth brushes. My son's favorite is the firefly toothbrush, which lights up and flashes brightly the whole time you brush. This was especially useful when he was very little and he didn't want me to brush his teeth. He thought the light up toothbrush was so cool, he demanded to try it himself after each time I brushed! So that was a big win on my part. They also have the ones that play music for the length of time you should be brushing, and they come in a variety of good tunes. Some kids might even be more preferable to the electric toothbrushes that spin while you brush. Nothing wrong with that, considering they clean even better than a regular brush!



You can use a timer to make sure they are brushing long enough, and to make it more interesting for them. There are plenty of different kinds of timers, so you could find the one your child likes and use that. Maybe you can switch to a new one every now and again to keep things fresh. These days they make so many different kinds of kid's toothpaste too, with tasty flavors and favorite characters. A lot of kids also like that fun mouthwash that turns the dirty spots on your teeth silly colors. They make a lot of great flavors these days. For even better hygiene, you can buy the colorful individual flossing sticks to get in between those teeth. They make crayon shaped ones too, my son loves those. I have heard that flossing is even more important as brushing!

I would say most importantly, make sure you remind your kids how good it feels to have clean teeth, and how important it is to keep them that way. Have them run their tongue across their teeth after a brush and feel how smooth and nice they are compared to before they brushed. Talk about what a good feeling that is. Remind them that if they don't brush, or brush properly, that they can get cavities which hurt and will need filled by the dentist. That wouldn't be fun at all!