As a parent you are always trying the do the best for your child and their oral health. Making sure they brush and floss, avoiding sugary foods and taking them to the dentist for regular checkups. Praise yourself for those efforts, but some of the most important things you can do for your child’s oral health begins with taking care of your own dental needs.

Fun is contagious. You learn that from children. One giggles and laughs and it has a ripple effect on the other kids and pretty soon EVERYONE is laughing. One of our Core Values is: Make Work Play. Work is work and takes up a lot of our lives, but work and play don’t have to be mutually exclusive. If you are having fun and creating positive moments, it’s not so much like work – it’s more like play. Play allows you to find pockets of joy in the day. It also brings out a sense of fun and creativity. Our fun and positivity spill over to our patients and parents. We often hear, “You ladies have a lot of fun here” or “I wish my office was like this.”

I’m really thankful to have a supportive staff who, even on hard days, manage to laugh and smile. I’m also appreciative of the fact that my patients make me laugh out loud on a daily basis by something they say, do, or just by being themselves.

Who wants to look forward to full time drudgery? We sure don’t and neither should you. Today is Wacky Wednesday Costume Day at the office and as you can see by the photos we are “Making Work Play” in an over the top way with Halloween coming up. I encourage you bring some “play” to your day. Start with a Smile.

Dr. Cara

Image via Wikipedia I have a toddler, first grader, and fourth grader at home. How do I motivate them all to brush?

Different age groups learn in different ways. Use the tips below to help your children and motivate them in their lifelong brushing & flossing habit.

Preschool
Preschoolers learn most things through rhythm and rhyme. Make the
brushing experience fun and exciting. Let them know there are little
bugs that we can’t see that live on their teeth, and you have to brush
them away. Make a song out of your teeth brushing time:

There’s a bug on my teeth brush him off
Brush up, brush down, brush you teeth round and round
When you spit the paste in the sink, the bug goes down the drain
There are no more bugs in our teeth  Look smile now so bright

Once you have shown your tots the up and down and round and round flow
of brushing their teeth, give them the brush, “now you try. Once they
get the flow themselves and they move their tiny brushes correctly
make this a very exciting and joyous moment. Celebrate this with
laughter, clapping, and exciting hoorays. Let other family members in
on the celebration as well, have your child show their grandparents or
other family members how awesome they can brush their teeth.

Main points to address:

•Get excited about brushing and even more excited when they brush.
•Make it a fun experience.
•Ask them to show you how well they can brush their teeth.
•Make it a big deal to other family members when they learn how, “Dad
look how great (child’s name) can brush his/her teeth.

Grades K-3rd
Grades K-3rd learn through presentation and repetition. The best way
for young elementary children to learn is through repetition and
presentation. Offer your young children the ability to watch as you
brush your teeth explaining what you are doing every step of the way.
Use creative analogies, “plaque are small bugs in your mouth
eating away at your teeth and the only way to get them out is to
brush.”

You’ll be amazed at how quickly your kids will ask to brush their
teeth and insist on doing so regularly.

Main points to address:

•Be consistent with times of the day to brush.
•Use creative analogies or stories of others who never brushed their
teeth.

Grades 4th-6th
While grades 4th -6th learn through show and tell. There is nothing
more effective than honesty and showing these youngsters what happens
when someone doesn’t brush their teeth. Find pictures of an individual’s
teeth with serious decay or rotten teeth. Use every dental visit
as a way to teach them by asking the dentist for pictures of people
who never brush their teeth. Explain to them, “this is what happens
when people don’t brush their teeth.”

You can also explain the health hazards of not brushing your teeth.
There are plenty of health risks for individuals who don’t brush their
teeth.

Main points to address:

•Be honest about how not brushing decays their teeth and hurts their
health.
•Use pictures offered through your dentist at every visit.
•Ask your dentist to share with your children stories, pictures or
knowledge of the hazards of not brushing their teeth.

Remember....Learning is life long!

Dr. Cara