Kids can be very tough sometimes and one of the biggest issues that we had last year was getting the kids to take care of their teeth. They have always brushed as they should but they never really seemed to grasp why they were doing it. I decided to change dentist to help, and we found the amazing Dr. Kami Hoss, who was in Los Angeles.
Dr. Hoss was brilliant for the kids but then he moved to San Diego, and as I couldn’t risk losing the progress which we made, we now drive from LA to SD every couple of months for our checkups. The dental community in both LA and San Diego is great and there is plenty of help and support, especially when it comes to the kids. Dr. Hoss suggested a number of tips to get the kids a little more excited by looking after their teeth, and these were the ones which really worked out.
Education
Something which I was certainly guilty of when it came to the kids was telling them to care for their teeth, without actually explaining why it was so important. I hadn’t spoken to the kids about plaque or decay, or the importance of having a healthy smile, and so I decided to change that. It took a little while but gradually the kids started to understand why I had spoken to them so much about making sure that they liked after their teeth.
Pick a Brush
One of Kami’s suggestions was letting the kids buy their own toothbrush, well choose I should say, making them pay for it would be harsh! I didn’t really expect this to do much difference but I had forgotten just how much kids love having something of their own, especially if they have chosen it. The kids couldn’t wait to get home from the store and try out their new brushes, and that excitement still hasn’t really worn off.
Communal
Without question the best thing that we have done with the kids was deciding to brush together as a family. The kids will shout at us both in the morning and evening if we are late to our brush date, and seems to have been something which has really gotten the kids excited about looking after their teeth.
Competition
My kids are super competitive and so I asked Dr. Hoss to rank each of my kids’ teeth out of ten when we go for a checkup, and the winner gets a treat. This has turned my kids into dental experts who are so committed to winning the ‘best teeth’ prize, that they are even dropping facts about dental hygiene on me! I love to see the kids so engaged in this and the competition as definitely been something that has spurred them on to look after their teeth.
Why not give these tips a try and see how your kids get on?
