This Is How We Brush Our Teeth!

By: Toronto4Kids

Brushing your teeth properly is an important part of dental hygiene that most of us understand. Toddlers, however, have different ideas when it comes to keeping their mouths clean! It can take a lot of persistence and resourcefulness on your part to teach a toddler how to brush their teeth. Despite the small struggles, it will all be worth it when they show off their bright white smiles and their little mouths remain cavity-free!

Here are a few tips to help you along:

The toothbrush
Use a small, soft toothbrush with a pea-sized helping of children's fluoride toothpaste. Pick a fun toothbrush, perhaps a favourite cartoon character; superhero or Barbie doll… whatever motivates them!

Who starts?
You should be the one to start to brush your toddler's teeth. Use the correct form of brushing when you brush a toddler's teeth - this is the first lesson he gets in dental hygiene!

Let them do it on their own.
As soon as your child shows an interest in cleaning his or her own teeth, let them! Show them to brush up and down and in small circles. Don't let your toddler get into the habit of sawing from side to side; it doesn't clean teeth well and it's not good for the gums. After your toddler has finished, you may have to do a quick re-brush to make sure all is clean.

Routine!
Make this part of your toddler's routine right away - in the morning and before bed.

Parents supervise!
Dentists agree that it's the parents' responsibility to supervise their child until they are at least six or seven years old. At that time, they will have the manual dexterity needed to clean their own teeth, and should have established proper dental hygiene habits.

Make brushing teeth FUN!
Make it a game such as brushing your teeth at the same time and seeing which one of you can brush longer. Play Simon Says… and give out instructions for brushing. Invent a fun song or chose a favourite one ensuring your child brushes for the duration of the song.

Your child refuses to brush…
If problems occur and your child refuses to brush their teeth, try going to a different room. Change the person who brushes the teeth. Make sure your toddler thinks of this as a fun activity and not a chore. Always keep your cool and give lots of positive feedback when they do a great job!

For tons of information and great tips on Dental Health for Kids and Tots, here is a great online resource: www.colgate.com.

Need some additional motivation? Here are some online Kids games and activities, colouring pages related to dental health: www.colgate.com.