Dental care starts at an early age. As adults, we know how important it is to protect your teeth from decay in the long term, to keep your breath fresh and your smile beautiful.
Children do not yet understand why they need to brush their teeth regularly. So how do you motivate a young child to brush their teeth every day?
Good chewing
Thorough chewing does not replace a toothbrush, of course, but it does help to keep the oral cavity healthy. The following foods are good for supporting dental care and oral hygiene:
Raw fruit and vegetables. A crunchy apple or raw carrot stimulates saliva production and flushes away some of the caries-causing food residues.
Cheese. Cheese balances the pH value in the mouth and makes it less inviting for caries bacteria. Cheese also contains a lot of calcium to strengthen the teeth.
Sugar-free chewing gum. Chewing sugar-free gum after a meal increases saliva flow and neutralises the acids that cause plaque.
Strategies for motivation
Brushing teeth together. The family gathers in the bathroom, the children hand out the toothbrushes. It's simply more fun together. The children imitate the brushing movements of the adults, and as the parents have to set a good example, they brush their teeth more thoroughly themselves.
Brushing teeth with humour. Children can find fun in everything. Make a game out of the tooth brushing ritual. Pretend there are "tooth monsters" between the teeth that can only be removed with the right brushing technique.
Musical dental care. To ensure that children brush their teeth for long enough (at least 2 minutes), you can brush your teeth for the length of a current favourite song or hum a toothbrushing song while brushing.
Reward. Make a table for brushing teeth and give the child a sticker for the corresponding field in the table for each successful brushing. When the chart is full, there is an extra trip to the playground.
Do you have any more tips on how to make brushing teeth fun for toddlers? Then write your ideas in the comments below.
