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4 Simple Ways To Instill The Habit Of Good Oral Hygiene In Children

September 07, 2020

Find out how we instilled the habit of good oral hygiene in our children through these simple ways.

Instilling the habit of good oral hygiene in children cannot be overemphasized because it will set the foundation for how they take care of their dental health in the future. You would be surprised that, in this modern-day and age, not a lot of parents give priority to oral health and hygiene.

How to Instill the Habit of Good Oral Hygiene in Children
Kuya with his Colgate kiddie toothpaste

4 Simple Ways To Instill The Habit Of Good Oral Hygiene In Children




    Lack of knowledge about good oral hygiene 


    I was in disbelief when our children’s pediatrician told us that she has encountered many children who already show poor oral health at such a young age. Naturally, little ones cannot clean their teeth so it is the parents and guardians who should be responsible for doing so.

    Apparently, those parents did not know that taking care of their children’s teeth begins at the first sign of teething. Yes, it starts that early and the lack of knowledge about it among most parents is the cause of poor dental health in children. 

    Thankfully, we had known early on from our pediatrician that it is a must to take care of our children’s teeth even if they were not yet permanent. That set the very core in our discipline to keep our children’s teeth and gums clean and healthy. 

    How we set the routine in our children 


    Our eldest son is already turning three years old soon and we are grateful that his teeth are all healthy, clean, and intact. We were eventually able to set a brushing routine for him and he seems to be happy with it. Of course, it was not without its challenges at first. We had to go through several convincing and a lot of crying fits before our baby finally got used to it. 

    Here are some of the techniques that we did to instill the value of oral hygiene to our toddler and make it part of his daily routine: 

    1. Visit a dental pediatrician regularly


    Understandably, visiting a dental pediatrician is not really part of our everyday routine but we introduced our toddler early on teeth cleaning as soon as he turned one year old.

    While we were told that it is good to visit as early as possible or when all of his teeth have erupted, a year old is still a good age to start. The advantage of early dental pediatrician visit is that they can clean hard-to-reach spaces in between teeth plus they can recommend brushes and toothpaste that are effective and age-appropriate.

    Furthermore, visit your dental pediatrician regularly. While we are unable to return because of the pandemic, we might pay our dental pediatrician a visit soon when all clinic safety protocols are put in place.

    2. Brush daily 


    The only way to get your child to brush his teeth is to do it daily. There will be some resistance at first but that is to be expected. He will eventually get used to it and will come to enjoy it as part of his bath time ritual. We brush our baby’s teeth at least twice a day and we are happy because his teeth are pearly white and healthy. 

    For our second baby, we are also introducing the habit to him by using a soft toothbrush, similar to a teether, to make it a fun and enjoyable experience for him. 

    3. Use age-appropriate toothpaste 


    We also found out from our dental pediatrician that using the right toothpaste plays a big role in successfully creating a brushing routine in our baby. Flavored toothpaste such as Colgate for kids with natural fruit flavor is something that my two kids enjoy plus it is also safe when swallowed so no worries for us there (GET YOURS HERE). 

    Baby holding a Colgate kiddie toothpaste to instill the habit of good oral hygiene
    Starting our little boy early

    We are currently using the 0-2 years variant of Colgate for our two kids but as soon as our firstborn turns three, we will start him with the 3-5 years Colgate kiddie toothpaste variant. 

    4. Good nutrition plays a role 


    Again, this is an indirect part of the oral hygiene routine for our kids but a good diet contributes to a healthy mouth, gums, and teeth. Fruits that are high in Vitamin C like apples, oranges, and lemon are extremely advantageous for mouth health, both for kids and adults.

    Vegetables like broccoli (which our children love) and green leafy vegetables, as well as milk, cheese, and eggs, are also advised to keep toddlers’ teeth healthy and strong. 

    Epilogue 


    Forming the habit of good oral hygiene in children is not at all complicated and hard but it does take hard work and patience. In the end, though, the effort is very much worth it. Start your kids young so that they will grow up to be mindful of the health of their mouth, teeth, and gums.

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    22 comments

    1. Good oral hygiene is a must and I really think that if you get it into kids they will carry that on as adults.

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    2. I have realized the younger you start this routine the better they follow it and grow up less afraid of dentist!

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    3. These are great tips for getting your kids to pick up good habits. Thanks!

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    4. I have a mouth filled with implants because I did not brush my teeth as a kid. My mom was dealing with a lot at the time so we were just surviving

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    5. Richelle Escat23 July 2021 at 19:07

      Yup, I agree. Patience is the key (even for adults). Thanks for this great article.

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    6. Scarlett Brooklyn23 July 2021 at 19:55

      How I wished I could feed my niece some broccoli and green leafy vegetables to make her teeth stronger.

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    7. Yeah, I agree that oral hygiene is important in kids as it is in adults.Thats for the tips to get our kids enjoying the oral hygiene routine

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    8. Great tips! And you're right, it takes hard work and patience to instill good oral hygiene habits to kids. -LYNNDEE

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    9. Since my son was a baby I have been telling him how important is oral hygiene and we have been lucky no cavities so far

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    10. It's so important in our kids to make them a oral hygiene routine. And it's not easy at all as all kids are different and they act differently but we don't need to give it up.

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    11. Such a huge information and this is really important! Thanks for keep sharing ♥

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    12. Those 4 simple steps are really easy to do. I am glad to know all these tips.

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    13. Thanks for sharing these tips. Oral hygiene is really important indeed.

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    14. ROXAS EDGARDO8 May 2022 at 03:09

      Super worth to read, and perfect tips tlaga 💕 thanks for this mommy and Daddy

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    15. Camilo M Villanueva Jr8 May 2022 at 03:09

      What surprised me here is that there are age-appropriate toothpastes available to encourage kids to brush their teeth.

      I love the idea though of nutritious food helping in oral hygiene!

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    16. Ramil Hinolan8 May 2022 at 03:09

      Agree, as parents with small children, it is our duty to teach our children the importance of oral hygiene. Guiding them the correct way of brushing their teeth and selecting the right toothpaste is a must.

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    17. That is true, sir. Being healthy nowadays should be taken with a whole new level of seriousness.

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    18. Yes, there are toothpastes specific to children's age. There are variants for 0-2 years as well as 3-5. Children 6 years and above may already use regular toothpaste but there are still flavored variants for this age.

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    19. Jowana Gumboc8 May 2022 at 03:10

      Honestly, Hindi ako nahirapan turuan anak Kong panganay about oral hygine at Kung paano Ang tamang pagtoothbrush. Itong tips na ito makakatulong sa akin sa bunso ko na 1 year old. Thanks for sharing this.

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    20. Salamat po, sana makatulong ng malakai sa inyo. :)

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    21. Maraming salamat po for your kind words.

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    22. ROXAS EDGARDO8 May 2022 at 03:11

      💕💕 my pleasure po, thanks din po always always support here po para po sa inyo

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