Brushing your child’s teeth has been a nightly ritual in your family for a while now. But now you notice that the time has come for your young ones to take over that responsibility. Recognizing this, how do you move forward and train them to properly brush and floss? Here are a few tips on what to do.

1. Have them brush their teeth right after you have brushed them. This is perfect because you can make sure a good job is done and ask them to “Finish the rest” to show them how to brush. Show them how to get the back, the front, the sides, and the tongue until it’s time to spit and go to bed. Continue this nightly exercise for a few weeks, till hopefully they are ready to do it themselves.
2. Another good idea is brush your teeth at the same they brush their teeth. This will allow them to “watch and learn”. Once, you are done. Tell them that you are going to “check their work” and finish brushing their teeth. This way they don’t feel like they did a bad job, but instead that you are helping them.
3. Consider taking the same approaches to flossing. Your child won’t need to floss until their tooth surfaces are right next to each other. And obviously, flossing once a day is highly recommended. Floss their teeth after they have brushed and once you are done let them finish.

The most important thing is to get your children into the habit of flossing and brushing every day. Their technique will always get better over time. It is important that they learn at a young age the value in proper dental hygiene! If you have any questions or comments please reach out to us at (209) 537-5783 or contact through our webform.