Getting kids to brush their teeth can seem like a feat worse than climbing Mt. Everest. Even if you can get them to brush – are they brushing for at least 2 minutes? While these tasks might seem impossible to achieve, there are simple ways to make brushing not only fun, but effective for kids.

7 Tips For Getting Your Children To Brush Their Teeth

1. Routines Are Your Friends

Kids teeth should be cleaned every morning and every night with an age appropriate amount of fluoride toothpaste. Once you set the routine and your kids understand this routine, then making it happen each day becomes easier. This is a routine that will continue to pay off for their whole lives.

2. Model The Behavior You Want

Children learn by watching their parents. In fact, they’re hard wired to copy their parents. Let your kids watch you brush your teeth and talk about how much you like your teeth clean. Soon they’ll want to be just like you.

3. Specific Praise

When your kids are helpful or cooperative with cleaning teeth, let them know exactly what they’ve done right. You might say “you did such a great job of opening wide and staying still while I cleaned your back teeth.”

4. Discover Xylitol Gels and Kid Flavored Toothpaste

Young kids can be very sensitive to flavors. Xylitol is a sweetener that has a mild sweet taste and prevents cavities. Many kids love the taste. Put some xylitol gel on a toothbrush along with some kid flavored fluoride toothpaste and see how they respond. Experiment with some different flavors until you find something they like.

5. Sing a Song

What kids don’t love to sing? Whether you sing to them or everyone sings along together, singing can make the time go faster. You can sing the traditional ABC song a couple of times to hit the two minute mark or make up your own words to the same tune. You know your kids and what will get them excited about brushing, so use the song that will work and get them brushing!

6. Set a Timer

Some kids love watching timers – especially those competitive kids that want to do their best. Make it a game and let the kids “beat” the timer. If you don’t have a stopwatch handy, be creative and use an egg timer or even your Smartphone to get the job done.

7. Play a Video or App

There are numerous tooth brushing apps that get kids excited about brushing as well as help them forget about the amount of time they are spending doing it. If you have young toddlers, there are many cartoon characters that are ready to get them brushing their teeth the right way. The added bonus is your kids will learn about oral health while listening to the characters; it’s a win-win situation.

Of course, good brushing habits are reinforced by regular visits to the dentist. We’d love to meet you! Call us at 503-297-1711 or request your appointment online.

Parents are often surprised to discover how frequently sweets are handed out to kids. No matter how much you try, at some point, your child is going to eat sweets. We know that cavities in kids are common and we know that sugar causes cavities. How then can parents manage this tricky issue?

Sugar is Sugar

The bacteria that live in everyone’s mouths like to eat sugar. These bacteria produce acid after eating sugar. The bacteria in your mouth don’t care if the sugar is from organic apple juice, mountain dew, or maple syrup. They just like sugar.

It’s All About Frequency

The more often you eat sweets, the more often it feeds the bacteria in your mouth. The more often the bacteria are fed, the more often they produce acid. The more often we have acid in our mouths, the more it eats away at our teeth and causes cavities. So, having dessert after a meal is not likely to cause cavities, but sipping a glass of apple juice for 2 hours will.

Watch the Type of Sweet

Not all sweets are equal. Some pass through the mouth quickly, while others stick on the teeth or take a long time to eat. Sweets such as raisins, fruit leathers, gummy candies, and prepackaged energy bars will stay behind on your child’s teeth long after he is done eating them. Hard candies that are sucked on and kept in the mouth for long periods of time will also create a prolonged exposure to sugar.

Don’t Live in Denial

Parents may successfully keep their kids away from sweets for the first few years of life, but at some point they discover sweets. It is tempting to deny your kids all forms of sugar. Keep in mind that kids can be hardwired to like sweets. If kids are denied sweets and they are associated with scarcity, they may respond by craving the foods they have been denied. So, it’s ok to have sweets. Just make sure it’s in moderation.

Choose Your Time

When times like Halloween roll around, pick a time for your kids to eat the candy. After that time, throw the candy out. Tell your kids, “You can eat as much candy as you want on Saturday from 12:00 – 1:00.”

After that, throw the candy out. Have it completely removed from your house. If you don’t throw it out and instead hide it in a drawer, you’ll end up nibbling away at it.

Fight the Battle at the Grocery Store

Once sweets make it into your home, it is difficult not to eat them. It can be hard for your kids not to sip on juice after you just purchased a super-sized carton of juice packs. Instead, do your best to make sure the foods that come into your home will be healthy for your family.

If you’re looking for a Portland pediatric dentist, we would love to be of service to you! Call us at 503-297-1711 to get started or schedule an appointment.

Fluoride is an important mineral that is essential in preventing tooth decay, and a majority of municipalities have added fluoride to public drinking waters in order to provide these benefits to entire communities. However, some parents avoid fluoride under the belief that it can be dangerous to their child’s oral and overall health. By learning more about the benefits of fluoride and the possible dangers, you can keep your child’s teeth healthy while minimizing potential risks.

The Importance of Fluoride

Fluoride is a very important mineral for children. Bacteria found in the mouth can combine with sugars in order to produce a harmful acid that may damage teeth and tooth enamel. Fluoride works to protect the teeth from potential damage, and it can also reverse some of the early signs of tooth decay. Fluoridated toothpastes reduce cavities by 15-30% in kids, and fluoridation of public water supplies can lower cavity rates by as much as 40%.

The Dangers of Fluoride

While there is ample evidence that fluoride does provide a strong benefit to teeth, especially with children, it is important that parents monitor this fluoride intake closely. Environmental health experts indicate that while topical fluoride exposure from toothpaste does appear relatively safe, ingesting too much fluoride will have its risks. In fact, a recent Harvard study found that fluoride ingestion had negative consequences on children’s cognitive development and abilities.

The amount that is ingested seems to be the key factor in whether negative risks will be experienced. If your children ingest too much fluoride, the risk of developing fluorosis, which is a condition that affects 41% of kids and involves pitted and stained teeth, also increases. In some cases, high exposure to fluoride has also been liked to ADHD and other neurological dysfunctions.

When to Use a Fluoride-Free Toothpaste

There are some scenarios where toothpaste that is free of fluoride may be the best option for your family. If you have a child that is under the age of two, fluoride-free pastes are sometimes the safer choice, as young children may swallow too much fluoride. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association both recommend that parents begin using a “smear” of fluoridated toothpaste on their kids as soon as the first tooth appears. This smear should be continued until the child is three years of age, at which point in time a pea-sized amount may be used.  The AAP and ADA recommend that parents have their children spit out any excess toothpaste when brushing their teeth in order to minimize fluoride consumption.

Ultimately, it is up to you as a parent to make the call if your child will use additional fluoride via toothpaste beyond the water that they are drinking. If you have concerns about the possible risks and rewards of fluoride with your children, talk to your child’s dentist or pediatrician for more information.