Are you freaking out about brushing teeth for your kids?

Mothers all know that brushing teeth is very important for protecting the baby’s primary teeth. We should let children know the importance of teeth and cavities earlier.

In the process of raising children, I always remind myself that one thing is to empty my cognition and think more from the perspective of children. Where they don’t understand, how can I say it clearly? Brushing is the same thing. Ask yourself if you have spent time talking about teeth and cavities with your child. Is it only when you brush your teeth or go to the dentist that you start all kinds of “threats” because your child doesn’t cooperate?

But we need to know that when the children don’t cooperate, they can’t listen to any more sermons.

So I suggest that you take your children to play such games when they are calm, to help them understand teeth and cavities.

Look for a picture of your mouth or draw one by yourself, then cut some rectangles as your teeth, and stick them with your child. It can also exercise fine sports. What’s more, we can talk about the role of teeth in this interaction.

Where are Tommy’s teeth? What about Mommy’s?（Let’s open our mouths and show each other our teeth）

How many teeth do we have?（Try to count. It’s hard for the child to count. I’ll tell her the answer）

What can teeth do for us?

 

When I talk about it, I will naturally introduce the concept of protecting teeth. I’ll tell Tommy，Teeth are part of our body. We brush our teeth as well as wash our face and body. These are the ways we take care of our bodies. Otherwise, the teeth can get a boo-boo. This hurts. 

 The boo-boo on the teeth is called a cavity. What does “cavity” look like?，

The concept of cavities is very abstract. We can help children understand it more intuitively. You can use an apple, poke a hole one night in advance, and it will be like this the next day.

The apple has a boo-boo. Let us see what’s inside.

 It’s yucky, isn’t it?

Is such an intuitive display more profound than the 10000 times we preach that “if you don’t brush your teeth, your teeth will break”? Now Tommy will supervise her father to brush his teeth, and sometimes he says, “if you don’t brush your teeth, your teeth will rot, just like rotten apples.”.

But many babies are full of resistance to brushing, some don’t like the process of brushing, some don’t like the taste of toothpaste, in a word, brushing is something that babies don’t want to experience again. Often receives mother’s helpless Tucao.

“Children don’t like to brush their teeth very much. When they can’t wring them, even if they think about it”

“My baby, brush your teeth and run! Ten cows can’t be pulled back “

“Children’s gums are very delicate. After trying so many toothbrushes, they always have bleeding gums.”

Mothers all know that children should brush their teeth well.

The most effective way to prevent tooth decay is to let children have a good habit of brushing teeth from the eruption of the first primary tooth.

Especially now children, usually eat food with more sugar, no longer pay attention to brushing, children are particularly prone to caries.

According to the epidemiological data of oral investigation, the caries rate of 5-year-old children’s primary teeth is 70.9%. Among 10 children, 7 have caries, and 2 may be on the way of caries.

Is there any way for babies to accept and love brushing their teeth?

Before we train our baby to brush his teeth, we need to make a clear question: is it to train him to brush his teeth? Or to train the baby to brush his teeth?

The American Association of child dentists (AAPD) recommends that parents help and supervise children’s brushing until they are about 7-8 years old.

So on the premise that the baby can’t make sure that he/she cleans his / her toothbrush, even if the child is 7 or 8 years old, the mother should still insist on helping the child brush his / her teeth to make sure that they are clean.

When we encounter a baby who refuses to brush his teeth, we can change his inherent impression of brushing through some small games.

1: Cosplay

With the baby role exchange, first, let the baby brush for the mother, then exchange, the mother brush for the baby, cycle several times, can also better than who brush.

Children have a strong imitation ability. Mom and dad can brush their teeth and wash their faces at fixed points every day. They can let the baby watch the whole process and let the baby slowly accept the brushing.

2: Water spitting competition

If the baby doesn’t know how to spit, let’s have a big competition with the baby. Let’s see who can spit the farthest.

Mother can also make a gurgling sound with water in her mouth to tickle the baby and let the baby learn to gargle.

3 I’m a little dentist

Prepare a set of dental toys in advance, let the baby play the role of the dentist, and use the toy earpiece and tools to help the mother check the teeth. The mother plays the role of the patient and tells the baby “because she doesn’t like to brush her teeth, now her teeth are painful and have cavities”. She asks the baby’s doctor for help.

Through this game, it not only stimulates the process of going to the dentist but also tells the baby the consequences of not brushing his teeth, so that the baby wants to brush his teeth actively. This way I tested on Tommy, the effect is very good, much better than other games.

4. Help with sketching

There are many picture books with the theme and content of brushing teeth. Mothers can usually show their babies more picture books in this aspect so that they can be familiar with the matter of teeth and brushing, and constantly instill the concept of having to brush their teeth.

The picture books of brushing teeth include:

“What’s new in tooth Street”, “dentists and crocodiles”, “bears don’t brush their teeth”, etc.

5 ：Good looking and interesting dental equipment

If you want to be good at your work, you must first make use of your tools. If you want to make your baby love brushing, a toothbrush that your baby likes, a toothpaste that your baby likes with its taste, and a tooth cup printed with cartoon characters that your baby likes can all be the reasons why your baby is willing to brush his teeth.

Maybe the baby didn’t like to brush his teeth before. After changing his favorite toothbrush, he will gradually accept brushing.

6. Guide step by step

Teach your baby to brush his teeth. Don’t expect to learn everything in one step. In the beginning, it can let the baby use the toothbrush and cup to imitate the action of adults and make the baby interested in brushing. After a few weeks, let the baby gradually master the action essentials of up and down rotation brush, brush with water. Finally, squeeze on the toothpaste, brush from the outside to the inside, in order.

Brushing and flossing

It is very difficult for preschool children to brush their teeth by themselves. They all need the help of their parents. But with the gradual enhancement of children’s self-awareness, they are particularly interested in brushing their teeth, so the following two games can make children better experience the fun of brushing their teeth.

Boil a tea egg, peel off the shell, and then brush the yellow tea egg with the child. If your child has eaten or seen a boiled egg, she will be very successful in this process. Tommy is very happy to watch the egg turn from yellow to white.

See, Brushing can not only protect teeth but also make them nice and clean.

The use of floss is also important (as is the case for adults), but flossing is more likely to trigger “war” than brushing. Tommy is not very receptive to flossing. Her dentist’s advice is to take it slow and make sure you brush twice a day. Later, I reflected on myself that I didn’t use floss step by step like brushing my teeth. Naturally, she would reject new things that she didn’t understand, which is very normal.

The children who use dental floss must have some basic scientific knowledge about teeth. At this time, we can use this little game: building blocks represent teeth, the gum between the gaps is tartar, and ropes replace dental floss. The process of playing with children’s hands shows children how to use dental floss and why to use dental floss.

There is so much food between teeth and the toothbrush can’t clean them all

What happens if we can’t clean the teeth?

Cavity

Yes, and that’s why we need floating

A lot of friends may find these games troublesome at a glance, but compared with fighting twice a day to brush their teeth, especially when the children are the biggest and more difficult to control, these games are not troublesome at all.

Every day, they brush their teeth by enforcing or cajoling rewards, so if the parents no longer help, can the children brush their teeth spontaneously? When we are willing to spend time and energy to let children understand why to brush their teeth, we are helping children establish good health habits once and for all.