As your child grows up, they begin to do more and more things independently. That starts with walking on their own and extends to feeding themselves and choosing their own clothes. Eventually, they should begin completing their oral hygiene regimen on their own, including flossing. If you’re unsure how to approach this in a way that’s fun and ensures they clean their teeth effectively, then keep reading for four tips for teaching your child how to floss.
Tip #1: Introduce Flossing Early
Simply put, you shouldn’t wait to introduce flossing until your child can do it independently. On the contrary, you should help them floss as soon as two teeth touch. Implementing this oral health habit when they are young will help make it part of their routine and make it an easy transition for them when the time comes for them to do it independently.
Tip #2: Share Why Flossing Is Important
As an infant and toddler, your child likely won’t be able to comprehend the value of flossing. By the time they are five, however, you can convey the importance through a visual exercise. Here’s how:
- Place a rubber glove over one of your hands.
- Give your child a spoonful of peanut butter.
- Spread your fingers out and have your child spread the peanut butter all over your hand.
- Close your fingers tightly and ask your child to remove as much peanut butter as they can with a toothbrush.
- Have your child observe how much peanut butter is left over, particularly between your fingers.
- Explain that’s how many food particles are left if they only brush!
Tip #3: Use the Appropriate Floss for Their Age
In short, your child needs to use appropriately sized oral hygiene products to foster independence. Fortunately, there are small, effective, and themed flossing tools for children of all ages, helping them clean their teeth properly and have some fun along the way.
Tip #4: Reinforce Good Flossing Techniques
It’s not enough for your child to just place the floss between each of their teeth. Instead, they need to move the floss in a “C” shape, carefully cleaning each side of their tooth. They should also use a clean section of floss for each tooth and clean behind their molars.
About the Practice
With five dedicated dentists, our team at Simply Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics is here for all of your child’s dental needs. Furthermore, we love being a resource for patients who have questions about children’s dentistry – from what products they should be using to when to bring them in for their first visit. If you have a question about how to keep your child’s teeth and gums healthy or you’d like to schedule an appointment for them to come into our office, visit our website or call (781) 767-7200.