Family Fun: Making Dental Care Fun for Your Children
One of the best ways to help your children develop good dental health habits is to make it fun for them. To accomplish this, try the following ideas with your kids:- Brush together.
- Take turns brushing each other's teeth.
- Read books about good dental care.
- Purchase your child a cute toothbrush, or one with their favorite character on it -- let your child choose.
- Count out loud as you brush teeth (e.g., "Tooth number 1 is clean, tooth number 2 is clean...."). This is also great for encouraging counting.
- Pretend to brush your child's stuffed animals' teeth or ask if your child wants to show his/her stuffed animal how to brush.
- Make up a silly song to brush your child's teeth by or create your own toothbrushing ideas. Have fun! (Adapted from Del Pharmaceuticals, 2003.)
Resources
- Tips for Good Oral Hygiene
- Nutrition & Dental Health
- Importance of Sealants
- Dental Visit Apprehension Tips
- Dental Emergencies
- Baby Bottle Tooth Decay
- Infant/Toddler Dental Care
- Medi-Cal/Healthy Families Information
