Fun Ways To Prevent Childhood Cavities

Dr. Firoz Lalani

Medically Reviewed By Dr. Firoz Lalani

Table of Contents
Beautiful tooth brushes

Tooth decay is a more serious problem than one may think; when tooth enamel is destroyed, it leads to cavities. This is not something that develops over night. Daily oral hygiene habits that are formed from childhood help to establish the health of one’s teeth over time as well as create avoidance of future health risks. According to American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, ”tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease, and oral disease causes children to miss 51 million hours of school per year”. This shows that inadequate attention to dental health is common but it can be easily prevented. By teaching your children good habits in a practical and enjoyable way it will enable them to avoid many oral health problems in the future.

Brush Your Teeth with Elmo: Some of the basics of oral healthcare are brushing teeth twice a day. To help kids and parents to be motivated to value the importance of oral health care American Dental Association teamed up with MouthHealthyKids.org to bring fun and stimulating Sesame Street videos about basic oral health.  This program features entertaining and memorable songs that bring to light the significance of regular dental visits, brushing teeth, and eating healthful foods that help to keep teeth healthy and strong. The visuals are a tremendously useful aid in showing that making a visit to the dentist can be a warm and inviting experience which is the complete opposite idea that most people form in their minds when thinking of a dental office. The video “Can’t Go Wrong” dives into the subject matter of how eating healthy fruits, vegetables, and drinking water is cool and fun in addition to adding nutrition to keep your teeth healthy and strong.

Show Them How to Brush Using Their Favorite Toys: As suggested in web md showing your child how to brush their favorite “action figures” teeth or stuffed animal can help to get him/her interested in brushing their teeth. Make it fun by having your child hold their favorite toy while brushing their teeth. To take it a step further you can even get a separate toothbrush for the toys “teeth” so they can brush together. This way it can be associated with something they truly enjoy thus creating positive correlations between your child and taking care of their teeth.  Another proposal was to brush your teeth with your little love one. As your child watches what you do they will learn to emulate it. Switch roles and allow him/her to brush your teeth as well. To ensure that regular cleaning goes for the allotted time recommended put on your child’s favorite three minute song to hum along to while still brushing, make it a game to see who can brush their teeth the best during that time.

Taking great care in one’s oral health as a parent and instilling in your child that it is good and can be fun to do will help them form the healthy habits needed to maintain their well being that lasts into adulthood.  It’s as easy as putting on Elmo’s “Brushy Brush” song or your kid’s favorite song at the end you will probably not be able to brush without it. If you live in Houston, Texas area visit our website to see which of our locations is closest to you and schedule an appointment or free consultation. Don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family.

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