Cleaning your teeth every day and visiting the dentist regularly is essential to keep your mouth healthy. As a parent, you want your child to develop these habits early so they can carry them through life and avoid the discomfort of tooth decay and the many health risks associated with it. Here are some ideas to help your child learn good dental hygiene.

How to Teach Your Child to Take Care of Their Teeth

1. Establish a Routine

Kids do best with a structured, predictable routine. Get them ready for the day at the same time every morning and ready for bed at the same time in the evening, including brushing their teeth.

2. Set an Example

Young children love to imitate their parents and other people around them, so the more often they see you brushing your teeth, the more likely they are to want to copy you. Make brushing a family activity, and they'll be much more interested.

3. Explain

A kid-friendly explanation of why we brush our teeth can help a child understand why this is important. During the first few conversations, you might try telling them there are tiny bugs that can make their teeth sick, and brushing gets rid of the bugs.

4. Make It Fun

To make teeth brushing a positive experience, try playing music or singing a song while your child brushes to help time their brushing. You can also tell a story, relating your child's cavity-fighting adventures to their favorite superhero or fairy tale character, and their dentist is the trusty sidekick. For multiple children, you can turn teeth cleaning into a competition.

5. Take Them to the Dentist

Good dental hygiene is a joint effort between you and your dentist, so get them used to the idea early. Their first trip should be around the time their first teeth come in, and after this, they should return every six months unless your family dentistry provider tells you otherwise.

To schedule a trip to the dentist for your or your child, get in touch with S. Jill Spurlin, DMD in Enterprise, AL. Serving Coffee and Dale counties, Dr. Spurlin has 25 years of experience in general and cosmetic dentistry and offers a range of services from basic checkups and teeth whitening to major restorative work. Her family-oriented approach and community involvement make her one of the area's most trusted dentists. To make an appointment, call (334) 475-2624 or reach out online.