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Children need to visit the dentist once every six months or so for their oral health and dental development. Just as importantly, care is required between these appointments to maintain strong and healthy teeth. Luckily, there are things that parents can do to make oral hygiene fun and important to their young ones.

A Pediatric Dentist Guide for Parents

1. Take Them Shopping

Brushing becomes more exciting if your young one feels like they have some ownership of it. Take them to the store with you when the time comes to stock up on supplies and let them pick out their own toothbrushes and toothpaste.

dentistChild-friendly supplies have favorite cartoon characters or designs on them to make it a little more fun. Once they stop thinking of brushing as a chore, they might even look forward to it.

2. Brush Together

Supervising your child is important to make sure they don’t swallow the toothpaste, brush for too short a time, or use improper technique. Rather than just supervising, though, join them. Your child looks to you as an example, so they can learn from you by imitating your behavior. If you show them that oral hygiene is important to you, it will become important to them, too.

3. Use a Star Chart

You don’t want to reward kids with harmful sugar for brushing, so find a more productive way to reward them. A star chart should have room for two stars each day, so allow them to place a sticker in its spot after they’ve finished brushing. Once they’ve earned enough stars, such as for two weeks, reward them with a movie, a new toy, or some other special treat.

 

The right dentist will give your child the best start possible on their oral hygiene and can teach you how to get your kids excited about taking care of their teeth. Sarah E. Frye DDS PA and her team have been serving the Lexington, KY, area for more than 30 years. Their dentistry office offers a full range of services for your family, from routine oral exams to Invisalign®. Learn more about the team online or call (336) 248-5057 to schedule your appointment.

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