Four Strategies To Keep Dental Health A Priority In A Bigger Family

11 April 2016
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

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If you have a large family, it might seem hard just to keep up with the immediate day-to-day needs of your kids. One area you shouldn't lose sight of is dental health. Getting ahead of daily dental care and appointments is important for everyone's health. Here are four strategies to make dental care a priority in a large family.

1. Make Dental Products Fun

Anything that you can do to source fun dental products for your kids can take the stress off of you to make sure everyone is brushing and flossing. Make sure that holidays and birthdays involve little side gifts such as fun toothbrushes with cartoon characters or action heroes. There are different flavored toothpastes that might seem weird to you but might motivate younger kids. Give older kids travel toothbrushes and portable one-time-use flossers they can bring with them.

2. Schedule Appointments in a Group

If you will have to travel to dental appointments or pull kids out of school, it might be more efficient if you can get everyone's checkup scheduled together. This can also be helpful for younger kids who might be anxious about visiting the dentist. They can watch their older sibling's teeth cleaning and see for themselves that they have nothing to worry about.

3.  Make Teeth Cleaning a Competition

If you have a house full of kids, your morning and evening routines might feel like a constant struggle. One thing you can do to make brushing and flossing fun is to make this more of a game. If you can have your kids 'compete' for weekly or monthly prizes, your kids can track the days that they brush and floss on a chart in the bathroom. Prizes can be little things like stickers or art supplies and if everyone stays on track, there is no reason why everyone can't win in the end.

4. Set a Good Example

The best thing that you can do to get your kids on track with day-to-day dental care and their general oral health is to make sure you and your spouse are also on top of your dental needs. If you are making appointments and showing the importance of daily brushing and flossing, your kids will follow suit. If you aren't setting a good example, they might not grasp the importance of taking care of their teeth and gums.

Having a lot going on in your large family isn't an excuse to sacrifice dental needs. It might be up to you to motivate kids and keep appointments, but it is worth it in the long run. If you can incorporate good habits in your children's dental routine at an early age, they will carry these on into the future.