It's important to establish good oral health habits with your kids early on in life. You are essentially setting them up for success in the future, which will help keep their teeth and gums healthy. Here are a few ways that you can make it fun for your kids to brush their teeth to encourage those good habits.
Lead By Example
You should keep in mind that you have many years of visits to the dentist and cavities to help reinforce the concept of good oral health. Your children are young and likely don't understand why they should be brushing their teeth, especially if they don't see you doing it. That's why it's important to lead by example. Try brushing along with your child so that they see that brushing their teeth is important to you as well.
Modeling the behavior also helps demonstrate the proper brushing techniques. Have them do what you are doing as if they are looking into a mirror. This includes angling the brush over the gum line to get rid of the plaque under the gums, brushing for the proper amount of time, and focusing on the four quadrants of your mouth one at a time.
Let Your Child Pick Their Oral Care Products
You may be surprised at how helpful it can be to give your child some agency over their oral care products. Take them to the store and let them pick their own toothbrush and the flavor of toothpaste that they want to use. Even if it costs a couple of extra bucks to get a toothbrush with their favorite character on it, that decision can help provide the extra motivation that they need to make brushing fun.
If you are the one picking out the toothbrush and toothpaste, it can easily seem like you are forcing those things onto your child. If your child picks it out, even if you give them a couple of choices to pick from, it makes it feel like it is their decision.
Use Interactive Apps
There are plenty of apps that encourage children to brush their teeth regularly. It can reward them by taking photos of them brushing, putting fun stickers over their picture, and even giving them rewards for brushing for many days in a row. Incorporating some technology into brushing their teeth is not necessarily a bad thing if it helps them do it regularly.
Contact a local family dentist for more ideas.