When Should You Start Flossing Your Child’s Teeth? As a parent, you want what’s best for your child, but you don’t always know your way around the often difficult task of raising children. And when it comes to establishing lifelong habits that impact their health, you want to get it right the first time around. After all, you want them to learn healthy habits young and you want them to maintain those throughout their life.
But when is the right time to teach your child life skills like brushing and flossing their teeth? Is there a set age or is it different for every child? Beyond that, how should parents proceed to introduce this concept to their children? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered.
We’re going to give you five tips on how and when to teach your child to brush and floss their teeth.
5. Start Early
When it comes to teaching your child how to brush and floss their teeth, the earlier the better. You’ll want to explain the concepts behind brushing and flossing as well as why we do it every day, multiple times a day. If you think your child is capable of understanding this then it is time to help them learn how to brush their teeth and floss.
4. Use Flossers
Probably the easiest way to acclimate your child to flossing is to use those handheld flossers that are found in nearly every store that sells dental supplies. The concept is easy to grasp and they are intuitive to use. Best of all is that they are cheap and accessible. Traditional floss also works but is much harder to use – even for adults. That’s why we recommend using flossers to teach your children.
3. Help Them
When your child is first starting to brush and floss their teeth, you’ll want to help them by giving them advice on what they are doing as well as helping keep them on track. That means reminders about morning and night brushes as well as making sure they brush and floss during the day after meals if possible.
2. Keep Supplies on Hand
This is one of the most important pieces of advice that young parents often forget. If you are going to instill good habits in your child, like flossing their teeth, then you need to make sure that you have the appropriate supplies on hand at all times. You’d be surprised how much a child can go through even with the most conservative of estimates. You show them that their dental health matters by making sure that they are provided with all they need to keep their oral hygiene in top shape.
1. Show and Tell
One of the most effective ways to show your child that oral hygiene is important is to demonstrate to them that you, too, take it seriously by brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice daily. You’ll set a good example and you will “practice what you preach” so to speak.
Take these considerations into account and you’ll be on the right path to helping your child build lifelong dental habits.
If you’re looking for a great Etobicoke Family Dentist please give us a call or click here to set up a time when you can come in for a tour and meet the team – (416) 232-2033.
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