It can always be a struggle to get your kids to do something, and that’s as true for dental hygiene as it is for anything else. You might have finally gotten your kids to brush twice a day for two minutes at a time, but then comes the next hurdle: flossing!
Flossing can be hard for a lot of grown-ups, so it’s no surprise that it can be a struggle for your kids too. If you want to learn how to instill this healthy habit at a young age, here are some tips you can try.
Make it Exciting!
The first and most important thing to do when helping your child to start a flossing habit is to get them excited, and to help them understand why forming this new habit is so important. Make buying the floss a big event—take your child to the store and have them pick out one that they’d like.
Then, you can show them how important flossing can be with a little demonstration. Put on a rubber glove and have your child spread jelly all over it. Then close your fingers tight and have them try and clean it off with a toothbrush. They’ll see how much jelly is left over in between your fingers, which can help them understand the importance of flossing!
How to Floss your Child’s Teeth
Then, it’s best to floss your child’s teeth for them so that they can see how it’s done. To do that:
- Tear off a ~24-inch piece of dental floss and wrap it around your index and middle fingers.
- Hold the floss in a “C” and gently slide it in between your child’s teeth. Move the floss up and down to catch any debris
- After each tooth, wrap a little bit of the floss up so that you have a new section for every tooth.
- Repeat for each tooth
Some kids will be better at flossing than others, so it’s best to help them until they can get the hang of it themselves.
Importance of Flossing
Flossing is one of the most neglected aspects of dental hygiene, which is why it’s so important to get your child in the habit at an early age. It’s estimated that nearly 50% of adults and children in the U.S. have gum disease, and flossing is the best way to ensure that your child doesn’t join their numbers.
About the Author
Dr. Linda Steele has been working as a dentist for over 30 years, and in that time she’s learned how to make children feel like the star of the show! There’s nothing she loves more than inspiring kids to take charge of their oral health. Dr. Steele is a graduate of the Baylor College of Dentistry, and she then underwent a pediatric residency at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO.
If you have any questions about helping your child floss, she can be reached at her website or by phone at (972) 315-3355.