4 Ways to Help Your Child Get Better at Flossing

A pediatric dentist is an important member of your child’s healthcare team. These dentists specialize in helping children get the oral health care that they need. One of the most common questions a pediatric dentist will hear from a parent is how to get their child to floss better. Here are four ways to help your child get better at flossing and ways you can help your child gain healthy oral habits and clean their teeth properly.

1. Model The Behavior

One of the best ways you can help your kids to learn how to floss better is by showing them how. If they watch parents floss regularly, they will also floss regularly. Show them how to do it and do it together. Flossing is an important part of good oral hygiene. About 86.9% of kids between the age of 2-17 visit the dentist annually, according to the CDC. Of those, only a small percentage floss regularly. Let your kids see that flossing is good practice for everyone.

2. Make Flossing Fun

Kids love a good game so making a game out of something that may have been seen as a chore is a good way to go. Set a timer and tell the kids that they are superheroes fighting the arch nemesis plaque, and the only way they can win the war is to floss between each tooth before the timer goes off. Make flossing something that is fun and that they can look forward to. This trick is a lot easier for younger kids.

3. Let Them Have a Say In Tools

Several different flossing tool options are available in different flavors. Take your kid to the store and let them pick up the flossing tools they want to use (age-appropriate, of course). Make it their flossing tool by putting their name on the package. Show them how to use the tool step by step properly, then supervise for the first few sessions. Children tend to show more interest in things when they can claim ownership in the process itself.

4. Use Online Resources

There are quite a few online resources that can help to teach your child how to floss better. Watch the videos together to help your child better understand how to floss and why it’s so important. You can easily find how-to videos for flossing, with images that show what happens to teeth when you don’t take care of them. Be sure to stick with age-appropriate resources that they can understand and connect with.

Your pediatric dentist and staff are a great resource for helping to get your child better at flossing. Call Jacaranda Smiles today to make a pediatric dental appointment and get more tips on improving oral health habits.