Fun Brushing Tips for Kids

Tariq Drabu, a leading dentist and specialist oral surgeon, has advised that tooth decay in children in the United Kingdom has become a very serious concern for the dental profession over the past few years. Younger patients are finding themselves being hospitalised for tooth extractions that cannot be carried out in the dental chair with a high percentage of children under the age of five suffering with dental decay.

The concern, for TariqDrabu, is that children can wait up to one year before they get a hospital appointment, which means that they are experiencing pain and sensitivity, all of which is preventable.

In order to get children into the habit of brushing twice a day, flossing and attending routine dental appointments, it's important that parents put a good oral health routine into place while the child is young, so they can follow the habit well into their adult years, protecting their permanent teeth and preserving them for as long as possible.

Have a dance party

Brushing should be carried out for a full two to three minutes twice a day. In order to make this fun, Tariq Drabu recommends parents turn tooth brushing into a fun dance party by turning up the child’s favourite song and dancing and brushing in time to the tune. Turning brushing into a fun experience promotes positive reinforcement and gets the child eager to brush without too much argument. Tariq Drabu does want to remind parents that they must supervise brushing to ensure it is being done properly.

Routine and reward

Tariq Drabu advised that from a young age children benefit from a set routine, so in order to make brushing fun, parents need to set up a routine that the child can follow with ease and confidence. Get the child into set times for morning and evening brushing and remember to offer them rewards so make it more motivational and fun.

Family affair

Make brushing a family affair. Get the entire family in on the fun and get the children involved in the brushing and flossing of their teeth. Get mum, dad and children into the bathroom, music blearing and brushing. Tariq Drabu does recommend using an egg timer or phone timer, set for two minutes, to ensure that the child brushes for the full two minutes.