4 Fun Ways to Get Kids to Brush Their Teeth

We love seeing children at Spokane Dental! Not only do we provide excellent care to the kiddos in our chair, but we emphasize education as well. We know that routine checkups are essential to health, but where the foundation of good oral health is laid is in the home. In our experience, incorporating a little fun into an at home dental routine can go a long way towards getting kids to brush their teeth regularly. Here are four fun ways to get kids to brush their teeth:

1. Think Outside the Brush

For small children, brushing does not have to involve, well, a brush. There are so many fun options for kids now that make tooth brushing time less of a chore. A teething toy or a toothbrush? Your little one will never know! Make brushing fun and exciting with this toothbrush that also makes for easy grip in little hands to practice for themselves.

A similar idea to the brush above, this fun banana shaped toothbrush has easy handles for your child as well as soft silicone “bristles”. This is gentle on gums, satisfying to gnaw on, and sore gum friendly.

This rechargeable Sonicare toothbrush is totally customizable. You can choose a base color (pink or blue), and the brush comes with a pack of sticker faces that your child can change out. There is also an app (more on that in the next section) where a child can make a little brushing buddy called a “Sparkly” that interacts with them.

Another safe and effective alternative to make brushing your very little ones’ teeth is a finger toothbrush. It slides on the end of mom or dad’s finger and has a two-sided bristle space that will thoroughly clean the entirety of baby’s tooth surface in one go. It also comes with a storage stand and container to keep germs at bay.

2. There’s an App for That

In today’s digital world, you can bet there is an app for that. A quick search in the app store reveals a plethora of interactive toothbrush timers and instructions for how to properly brush teeth. Having a fun two minute brushing session following along with a fun app could get kids excited at the end of the day for brushing instead of fighting it.

As mentioned above, the Sonicare kids toothbrush comes with an app as well that has a little avatar called a “Sparkly” that gets rewards and new features when your child brushes your teeth. It also splits the mouth into quadrants as the child is brushing and syncs with the toothbrush to guide the child to brush every surface of every tooth. Talk about a healthy life hack… your child will have a blast and you will know their teeth are getting a proper cleaning!

3. Get Creative with Timers

Apps can be a great resource for toothbrush timers for kids, but if you are wanting to take the tech-free approach there are fun ways to make sure your kids are brushing the full two minutes. These little tooth sand timers take two minutes and are fun for kids of all ages to use.

Another great resource for kids is a visual timer. Your kids can watch as the color decreases as the time runs out. This option is a multipurpose tool- use it for a cleaning timer or in other ways around the house as well!

4. Add in Some Science

Sometimes all it takes to get kids to brush their teeth is an understanding of the purpose behind it. Add in disclosing tablets into your routine to incorporate a fun “science” experiment showing just how important brushing is. Have the child brush their teeth, and then chew on a disclosing tablet (and then spit without swallowing). The solution will cling to any plaque left on the teeth, and the child will get a visual of where they are missing when they are brushing.

Explain to the child that the plaque on the teeth is actually bacteria that can cause damage to the teeth and gums and explain the importance of removing it thoroughly. Do this enough times and you will have an all-star brusher!

We are here to support the whole family on the road to better health! Give us a call today at (509) 822-5614.