Getting your child into a good oral hygiene routine is essential. It will help to create that routine when your child gets older and they start caring for their own teeth. Your pediatric dentist in Mill Creek will be able to tell when your child has a good routine or not, and they can offer the best tips for children to get them to follow through with that routine.
There are things that you can do at home. These tips are great for children who just find setting routines difficult or for those who like to fight back against discipline. Here are the top tips to create that good oral hygiene routine.
Create a Reward Chart for Your Child
One of the best things you can do for a small child is create a reward chart. Children want attention. If they realize that they only get attention for their bad behavior, then they will start to act out. They will do whatever they can to get you to pay attention to them, even if it means getting told off. Your pediatric dentist in Mill Creek wants you and your child to have a good relationship, so you need to find a way to use their wish for attention in a better way.
It’s time to reward the good behavior. Make a point to offer praise when they do something well. You can create a reward chart or a sticker chart. Don’t punish for one mistake but do reward for the more times they got something right than wrong. This shows that they’re allowed to be human, and there is a reward for succeeding.
If you take a reward away for one mistake, children are afraid of making mistakes. Or they may not care about the reward chart because one bad thing leads to losing it all. When you reward for more good than bad, you show that making mistakes is fine and they can learn from them.
Help to Set Up a Morning and Night Routine
As a parent, you can set up routines for the morning and the night. Your pediatric dentist in Mill Creek will want you to set up a routine that involves good oral hygiene. For example, part of the routine involves brushing and flossing.
Set up a routine of five things to do on a morning. These five things are things that they can do on their own while you get on with your routine. Add brushing teeth in there so these five things just end up being part of a normal day.
You can then do the same on an evening. Brushing and flossing should be part of that five-step routine so that they get used to it. The more they do it, the more it all just becomes a normal part of winding down for the night. It can help them sleep better.
It’s a parent’s job to help create a good oral hygiene routine. A pediatric dentist in Mill Creek is there to help and offer tips, but it’s up to you to help create a good routine your children can follow.
