How Media and Your Family Dentist Work Together to Encourage Kids

As a family dentist, we are regularly asked by parents what they can do to get their kids to brush their teeth. The education is out there, so parents understand the value and reason behind teeth brushing, but many times, kids simply don't care.  Naturally, more children are focused on playing and having fun, rather than worrying about the possibility of a future toothache.  While this is perfectly normal unless kids learn how to brush their teeth properly and get into a routine of it, they will develop cavities and even gum disease.

In a quest to find ways to get kids excited to brush, the American Dental Association has developed an entire website around helping children and parents. On it they have tutorials so that your kids can learn how to brush the right way. This is a good place to start because if they simply put the brush in their mouth and wiggle it around a bit – they won't get a good clean.  They need to learn how to brush in a circular pattern towards the center of their mouth and to reach all of their teeth.  Watching a video is often more friendly than having mom or dad remind them, so this can be a good tool to use.

Simultaneously, the ADA has a section of two minute videos that your kids can watch so that they learn how long to brush for.  These are cartoons, sing-alongs and shows that kids of all ages will enjoy watching.  They even have some famous ones like Adventure Time so that your tweens won't be opposed to you playing it.  Simply grab your laptop, tablet, or smartphone and put it on while they brush.  As a family dentist, we find this to be much easier than using a timer or a stopwatch.  While that was a popular method, kids don't tend to respond well to it.

The concept of playing something for two minutes is fairly simple and if you don't like the cartoons, play their favorite song instead.  The goal is to teach your kids how to brush for two minutes at a time in a way that is both fun and approachable.  As a family dentist, we want them to associate oral hygiene with positive emotions so that they look forward to brushing their teeth and will continue to do so as they grow into teens and adults.  This is one way that music works so well.  Pick an upbeat song and before you know it they will be brushing and dancing in the morning.

While it may seem that their world is inundated with media, it can be used for a good purpose.  In this case, media is a simple, easy tool that can be used to get your child to brush their teeth on a regular basis.  We will reinforce this when you bring them in for a teeth cleaning at our dental office.  Working together, we can help your child to establish a good health routine.