Create New Year’s Resolutions

A wonderful activity for children who are old enough to feel excited about the New Year is to sit down with your child and create New Year’s resolutions together. Since you can include anything you want, slipping in goals regarding your dental hygiene and encouraging your child to follow suit can create a fun way to see brushing, flossing, and dental visits in a positive light. The more excited your child feels about caring for his or her smile, the easier it will be to establish long-lasting habits for years of healthy smiles. Consider some suggestions as we prepare for 2016.

Keep Resolutions Simple

Remember that the complexity of the New Year and the idea of resolutions may already be a bit of a reach for your son or daughter. However, this is still a wonderful way to get the conversation about dental hygiene going. Come up with resolutions that make dental care seem like something fun to plan for the future, such as the following – “In 2016, I resolve to…”

  • Smile and have a fun time when I brush my teeth
  • Remember to brush my teeth every morning and every night before I go to bed
  • Help show my brother/sister how to brush and floss like a grown up

Make Resolutions Of Your Own

While encouraging your child to focus on dental hygiene is always beneficial, you might want to make a resolution or two of your own. Take a quick assessment of 2015 to make sure you’re keeping up with the seemingly impossible (yet possible!) task of keeping everyone’s smiles healthy. Consider the following:

  • Remember to schedule your own dental visits, so your smile remains healthy, too
  • Make sure you are scheduling preventive care visits once every six months for your son or daughter
  • Keep brushing sessions their best by replacing toothbrushes once every three months
filed under: Preventive Treatments, Tips/Advice