From an early age, our children learn ways and routines that will be with them their entire life. That’s why a good routine in oral hygiene is so important — once in place at an early age, good habits like brushing and flossing are more likely to stay in place as they proceed into adult life. That helps to ensure the health of their teeth and gums.
An earlier article discussed implementing good oral habits for children, where we suggested letting them pick their own toothbrush, toothpaste or floss. In doing so, they individualize the experience to their liking, and such choices often reinforce the desire to continue with the habit. After all, developing an oral health habit is the main goal! We also suggested brushing and flossing together, which sets the model for them.
Even for adults, though, it can be difficult to keep track of two minutes, twice a day while brushing. Perhaps your child is good with numbers, so counting up two minutes is easy for them. For the rest of us, it’s a difficult thing to keep our attention on such a tedious thing like brushing for two whole minutes. Granted, some electric toothbrushes have a built-in timer that shuts the power off after two minutes, but that kind or electric toothbrush is often quite expensive. Is there a better way to keep that two-minute timer going, maybe one that’s more fun?
Tracking Two Minutes the Fun Way
Amazingly, musical artists have provided many songs that are designed to last for two minutes. Some of them focus on brushing teeth. Dozens are available on Internet sites like YouTube. In fact, there are so many that it’s sometimes difficult to choose! Sites like The Inspirational Edit and Mouth Healthy offer lists of tooth brushing songs, many of which last two minutes and feature celebrities from cartoons and children’s programming. (If singing or humming a jingle can help you remember how long to wash your hands, it can certainly help you brush your teeth!)
What’s more, this is another opportunity to allow children to make tooth brushing their own! As with choosing their own toothbrush or toothpaste, let your child choose a tooth brushing song to play while they brush. Go through the list with them. Play a few songs and see which one lightens the face of your child. Or perhaps play one while brushing in the morning, then play another at night, and ask them which one they liked better. (Maybe that nighttime song should be a lullaby too!)
Don’t Forget the Dentist
During your next appointment with the Placerville Dental Group, your child can tell us about their favorite tooth brushing songs, and perhaps we can play some of ours while we go through a checkup of your child’s teeth. Doesn’t that sound like fun? And although we are focusing on essential dentistry at this time, please call us or write if you or your child are experiencing a dental difficulty and would like advice.
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