As you already know, flossing is really important for your oral health. It helps remove food and other particles that can’t be eliminated by brushing alone, and people of all ages should floss daily, including kids.
But what if your kids refuse to floss, or they have trouble flossing regularly? In this blog, we’ll discuss a few common tips and tricks that will help your kids floss more. Read on, and learn with us!
1. Teach Them When They Can Actually Learn To Do It On Their Own
Most kids can brush effectively on their own at the age of 5 or 6, but that doesn’t mean they’re prepared to floss on their own. Learning proper flossing technique is a lot harder, and your child may not be able to do it properly until they’re 7 or 8 years old.
If your child is too young, they just won’t have the coordination or motor skills to floss effectively, and may be frustrated or avoid flossing. So until your child can learn the proper technique, you’ll need to floss their teeth for them once per day.
2. Consider Floss Picks For Younger Kids
If your child is struggling to learn how to floss, we get it. Lots of adults have trouble with it, so kids may have a lot of trouble learning proper flossing technique. Floss picks are a good alternative.
These are small, disposable plastic handles with a pre-strung piece of dental floss. Your child can hold the handle and use the floss to clean between their teeth. Floss picks are a lot easier to use than traditional floss.
There’s a caveat, though. While they’re considered to be better than not flossing at all, most dentists say that floss picks are not as effective as traditional string floss. So don’t use them forever. When possible, get your child to switch to string floss.
3. Lead By Example & Make Flossing A Family Activity
Once your kids start to floss, we recommend making it a fun family activity! Flossing along with your kids lets you lead by example, demonstrate proper technique to your children, and supervise them to make sure they’re really flossing.
And while you floss, you can have some family time, too! You can sing songs, dance, make funny faces, and make the process fun for you and your kids!
4. Reward Your Kids For Consistent Flossing
Consider a reward system for your kids! Rewards are a fun way to encourage good oral health. For example, you could have a monthly calendar, and put a gold star on each day that your child flosses properly.
Then, after a month of flossing every day, they could get a special outing with Mom or Dad, a new toy, a meal from their favorite restaurant, or some other reward. Rewarding kids for good oral hygiene is a great way to improve their oral health habits.
Keep Your Child’s Mouth Healthy With Preventive Care From Dr. Stuckey!
At the office of Dr. Patrick Stuckey, our team offers expert family dentistry In Ruston. If you want to keep your child’s mouth healthy, brushing and flossing is a good start, but you should also see Dr. Stuckey for a teeth cleaning and oral exam every six months.
So don’t wait. We’re always accepting new patients at our office and would be happy to meet your little one. Contact us online or give us a call at (318) 255-8648 to schedule a consultation right away.
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