A good dental care routine for children can be started as young as six months old, but their fist flossing will have to wait another two or three years. By age eight, children are ready to learn to floss under adult supervision. Your child will have to learn how to floss to remove plaque and lingering bacteria from places their toothbrush can’t reach.

Useful Methods to Teach Your Children How to Floss

1. Let Them Watch You Floss

Encourage your kids to floss by letting them watch you do it. Bite into messy food before cleaning your teeth to show them the effects of good flossing. Your child will probably want to participate in the fun, which gives you an opening to hand them floss and start them on a path to good oral hygiene.

2. Purchase Kid-Friendly Floss

Adult floss can be rigid and might discourage children by hurting their gums. Kid-friendly floss is designed for a child’s developing gums, so invest in products like Plackers Kids Dental Floss. The fruity flavors and fun shapes will make flossing exciting for your kid.

3. Promote Good Dental Care

Help your child look forward to their dental care routine with a fun chart they can add stickers to for each day they floss. Program alarms into smart speakers around the house to alert them when it’s time to brush and floss. Participate with your kids and give them positive reinforcement to encourage great dental care that will last a lifetime.

For an exceptional children’s dentist, check out the team at Dentistry For Kids in Pearl City, HI. Led by Paul K. Seo, D.D.S., M.S., this practice is filled with friendly staff dedicated to serving Oahu residents with cutting-edge dentistry. They perform dental care procedures including teeth cleaning, dental exams, and dental fillings, and you can count on a welcoming environment for returning patients or first visits. Stop by their website for information about the team or call (808) 486-8881 for an appointment.