As a parent, your child’s dental health is top priority. However, it can be challenging to teach children proper dental hygiene, especially small children.
Meanwhile, it is crucial to make tooth brushing fun in order to instill lifelong brushing and flossing habits. The Super Dentists know how to make brushing teeth fun, and we’re here to pass along the fun to you and your family.
From entertaining, interactive visits to smart self-care strategies, The Super Dentists is here to boost your family’s oral health and help you with fun ways to teach brushing teeth to your child. One in every five San Diego children is a Super Dentists kid.
We’re reinventing and transforming the way parents and children view traditional pediatric dental care. See why we’re the #1 Pediatric Dentistry Practice for children throughout the San Diego region and stop by one of our convenient locations today.
The bottom line: teeth brushing doesn’t have to be a bore! Check out our recommended strategies on how to make teeth brushing fun, outlined below, and for more information, visit The Super Dentists’ blog or contact us to schedule a consultation.
Strategies for How to Make Brushing Teeth Fun
Want to make teeth brushing teeth fun for your family? Here are a few ideas to get you started with learning how to make brushing teeth fun:
Find Fun Dental Health Education Resources.
The Super Dentists believes fundamental dental care starts with an educational but fun approach. Try reading age-appropriate books and watching videos about dental hygiene with your child as you begin exploring how to make brushing teeth fun.
For ideas of what sort of fun educational media is out there, you can watch The Super Dentists video for kids on proper brushing and flossing at home! Your child will enjoy the time you spend together learning about oral health, and you’ll enjoy the opportunity to introduce healthy habits like brushing and flossing.
Make Brushing and Flossing a Family Affair.
Setting an example for your kids is one of your most powerful tools to make brushing teeth fun. To model good dental hygiene, brush and floss at least twice daily with your children, including once before bedtime.
For younger children, you might even have them practice brushing your teeth! The routine of family brushing will establish consistency, so children will be able to learn healthy habits more easily.
Plus, extra family time and attention for your child is never a bad thing! Sometimes, it takes teamwork to accomplish family goals, and proper dental care is definitely worth the extra effort! When kids see the entire household making dental hygiene an important priority, they are more likely to follow suit and develop positive lifelong habits.
Use a Mirror
If you want to know how to brush your teeth for kids, using a mirror can be a huge help. Having your child brush in front of a mirror makes it more engaging. They can watch their mouth movements and see exactly where their toothbrush is reaching.
It helps them learn oral anatomy too. If your bathroom mirror is too high or your child needs to stand on a stool to see in the mirror, it might add to their anxiety about brushing.
Try using a mirror on a stand so they can clearly see the inside of their mouth. With proper guidance, a mirror brings an interactive element kids enjoy.
Create a Two-minute “Contest” For Brushing.
In addition to “how to make brushing teeth fun,” The Super Dentists team frequently answers questions like “how long children should brush their teeth.”
Adults and children alike should brush teeth for two minutes twice daily, including before bedtime. To make brushing teeth fun, make a game of it and set the timer for two minutes; the “winner” must brush for the entire two minutes without stopping.
Turn it into a family contest by having everyone brush at the same time and see who can brush thoroughly for the full two minutes. Make sure to stand in front of the mirror so you can monitor technique.
Offer fun little prizes like stickers or colorful floss picks for those who complete the full two minutes with good brushing form. Some friendly competition will encourage kids to try their best.
You can add extra fun by having kids dance in place while they brush or make silly faces at themselves in the mirror. This type of game will create a sense of friendly competition and motivate your kids to brush properly – a win-win!
Brush to the Beat
Brushing to the beat is similar to setting timer, but the music adds a new element of fun to it. Listening to music is another way how to make brushing teeth fun for toddlers.
Let your child pick a fun song to play while brushing. Encourage them to move the toothbrush along to the rhythm. They’ll be distracted from the monotony of brushing and end up going longer than if without music. You can even have dance parties in front of the mirror!
Upbeat music makes toothbrushing much more exciting. Let your kid have a dance party while they brush to their favorite tunes.
Adding movement stimulates them and makes it less boring. You can put on an upbeat playlist they enjoy or let them pick a new silly song every night to keep them engaged.
Get Your Child a Special Toothbrush
As adults, we forget the novelty of incorporating toys into everyday life. Relive the magic of childhood and indulge your child in a special toothbrush of his or her choosing, which can help in making teeth cleaning fun. You’ll find that, by adapting the toothbrushing process into a game with “toys” of sorts, you’ve found one special way to make brushing teeth fun.
Speaking of special toothbrushes…Have you heard of SuperMouth? SuperMouth is a revolutionary line of oral care products designed with specific ages and mouth development stages in mind so they will be more effective. The toothbrushes are not only specially-engineered to fit the specific needs of each age, but they are also fun, coming in different colors, character and original songs, all designed to create a positive association with brush time.
Add Animals into Brushing Time
Kids love mimicking animals. Have them bare their teeth like a lion while brushing, stretching their lips back far. They can also stick their tongues out straight or wiggle them like a lizard. Adding silly gestures keeps it lively and imaginative. Just be sure actual brushing doesn’t lapse during the play.
In addition to making animal faces, you can pretend the toothbrush is a little animal itself. Give it a name and character.
Say things like “Here comes Mr. Brush zooming into your mouth to clean your teeth!” and make playful sound effects. Kids will be more cooperative with brushing if they view it as playing with the “animal” rather than a boring hygiene chore.
You can also turn the sink into a pet washing station while your child brushes. Let them pick a favorite stuffed animal to get its teeth brushed too.
Hand your kid a second dry toothbrush and supervise them brushing the toy animal’s mouth as they brush their own. This will allow your child to practice proper brushing techniques in a way they enjoy.
Reward Consistent Tooth Brushing.
To really make twice-daily brushing and flossing something that really catches kids’ attention, reward their behavior. Start small by choosing a simple reward (like gold stars), and award it only when kids brush and floss as instructed (i.e. two minutes per day twice a day for brushing and once a day for flossing).
Once kids have the mechanics and schedule of brushing in place, reward consistency by creating a weekly brushing calendar; each week of perfect daily brushing results in a bigger reward.
Make Going to the Dentist a Special Occasion.
At The Super Dentists, going to the dentist means fun for every member of your family. A trip to The Super Dentists means exceptional pediatric dental care, and an out-of-this-world experience.
We’ve seen our adult patients passing that excitement along to their families be a very successful way to alleviate anxiety and reinforce positive associations with visiting the dentist. Make it clear to your kids that going to the dentist is the crowning achievement of your child’s hard work for learning proper dental habits, and avoid framing it as a negative outcome for neglecting their brushing and flossing habits.
Parents can also pass a fear of the dentist to their children. If you’re anxious about a dental visit, do your best to talk about visiting the dentist in a neutral tone. Let us know when you make your appointment if you or your child is especially anxious so we can let our super crew know in advance.
Recruit the Tooth Fairy.
Another way to make brushing teeth fun is to recruit the tooth fairy. Not everyone realizes that the tooth fairy pays more for teeth that are clean and cavity free. Make sure your child knows this fact; it will go a long way in motivating your child to engage in daily brushing and flossing!
You can even have the tooth fairy write your child little notes praising their dental hygiene efforts. Leave sparkly messages under your kid’s pillow like “Great job brushing!” or “I love how dedicated you are to flossing!”
You can also have the tooth fairy give bonuses, like an extra dollar, for teeth that are super clean without plaque. Make a big celebratory show when the tooth fairy leaves rewards to reinforce the excitement.
Let your child know their oral health is important to fictional characters too! Having this external validation can make kids more invested in building lifelong positive habits.
The tooth fairy is an ally you can leverage to make proper brushing and flossing fun. Use her mystique to add some sparkle and magic to your dental health routines.
Our Specialists on How to Make Brushing Teeth Fun
The Super Dentists team is here to teach everyone how to make brushing teeth fun and teach you how to make brushing teeth a habit. We are an advocate for your child’s lifelong dental health, and we are committed to helping educate your entire family on proper dental hygiene.
We know what it takes to engage and teach children, and our pioneering use of Augmented Reality (AR) technology makes us one of the most sought-after Pediatric Dentistry Practices in San Diego. Our free AR app features 12 modules (or “experiences”) in which kids interact with our characters in 3D to learn about a number of dentistry topics.
Kids are able to have fun and learn about tooth brushing and cavities while they’re spending time in our Super Lounges.
We strive to make every dental experience as extraordinary as your child. That’s the philosophy behind our family-first approach to pediatric dental care, and it’s a main reason why we’re the preferred Pediatric Dentistry Practice in San Diego.
Discover a different brand of pediatric dental care – visit one of our offices today!
In addition to Pediatric Dentistry, The Super Dentists provides state-of-the-art dentistry for every member of the family, including comprehensive dental services for teens and parents and orthodontics. Contact The Super Dentists to learn more about how to make brushing teeth fun or to schedule a consultation.
