Best Children’s Books About Dental Health
The first years of our lives are the most important in regards to learning and acquiring new skills so it’s very important to create healthy habits from a very young age. A great way to introduce your kids to new concepts and entertain them at the same time is with books on the desired topic. Once they have a basic idea of the reasons for which we keep our mouths clean it will be much easier to teach them how to brush, floss, and even rinse by themselves.
What Books Are a Must for Children to Read About Teeth?
Whenever your children start growing their teeth you will eventually need to start brushing them, teaching them about proper hygiene, and each different part of their mouth. You should also start preparing them for their first visit to the dentist a long time before they are meant to go as it is your best chance to teach them that visits to the dentist’s office can be fun and good for their health instead of scary and boring.
Regardless of if they are just growing their first tooth or are about to get a dental appointment, a good foundation of knowledge is necessary for them to understand the importance of proper care. Here we present a few educational books about teeth and mouth care that are also entertaining for your kids.
The Tooth Book
Written by Dr. Suess, The Tooth Book teaches kids about why it is important to keep their teeth healthy through the rhymes that we expect to see in his books. The book also explains to children about the two sets of teeth that we have throughout our lifetime and how when we get to our second pair there won’t be anymore.
The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist
The Berenstain family is a classic in kids’ literature and has a good number of books about different topics. Seeing a familiar face will make it more enjoyable for your kids to both learn and read, or listen, to the story. The book is about the Bear family going to the dentist to get their teeth checked. It’s perfect to show the kids what their first visit may look like. They also introduce how to deal with cavities and the idea of the tooth fairy.
Sugar Bug Doug
The book Sugar bug Doug enlists the help of sugar bugs to explain to children the causes of tooth decay and cavities. The dentist who wrote this book aims to teach children about proper oral hygiene and why it is important. Kids who have a reason to follow an instruction, in this case brushing their teeth to defend themselves from sugar bugs, will be much more interested and thorough will doing it.
Brush, Brush, Brush
Brush, Brush, Brush is a great book for kids to learn about, you guessed it, brushing their teeth. Not only will it teach them how to brush their teeth properly but also the importance of doing it every day multiple times a day. Brush, Brush, Brush also helps by teaching children how to pronounce some dental words with an entertaining song.
When Should You Start Brushing Your Child’s Teeth?
Even before your baby starts showing some teeth development you will be cleaning his mouth at least once a day. To be specific you should be cleaning their gums with a soft washcloth at least once a day. Parents can also use special toothbrushes to promote the development of teeth that are still under the gums.
Once any tooth has erupted from the gums parents will have to start brushing their teeth at least twice a day until they can do it by themselves. Although some babies start developing teeth by the 3rd month it’s not uncommon that some others take until the 6th or 9th month to start showing teeth outside the gums.
How to Make Sure That Kids Brush Their Teeth?
A very common way of getting kids to do something is by doing it yourself first. Children are more likely to do something if they see your example first, so take them with you whenever you are about to brush your teeth and try to make it as fun for them as possible so that they can relate good experiences with the activity.
Another great way of getting your children in the habit of brushing their teeth is to start making them do it as early as possible in their lifetime. As said previously you will already be cleaning your baby’s gums well before any teeth erupt from the gums, and once that happens you will be brushing their teeth at least twice a day until they can do it by themselves. If you keep doing it daily and make them do it once they are capable of it they will naturally continue doing it as they have been following the same routine for their whole life.
If you are looking for a pediatric dentist for your children, whether it’s their first visit or not, here at Parkway Pediatric Dentistry we will be glad to take your appointment and give the best attention possible to your kids so that they can have the fun experience at the dentist that they deserve.