Kids' Oral Health

Hey there I'm Megan Meany and today I'm going to talk about good oral health and how important it is for your kids. Good oral health is directly connected to our overall wellbeing and all a lot of people don't realize that so as soon as you can instill healthy habits with kids the better. I know how crucial that is because I am the mother of two boys and getting them to brush is hard and getting them to brush for the two minutes recommended by dentist is nearly impossible but there are some tricks and ways to make it more fun. Number one get them a toothbrush they're going to love. Kids are going to be more engaged with their favorite characters. Secondly join them when they brush their teeth that way you're setting a good example, you're a role model and you're supervising making sure they are doing everything right including brushing their tongue. Now I recently discovered this app that I love because I have tried other things that didn't work. This is the Disney Magic Timer App by Oral-B and what it does is it takes the act of brushing and turns it into a game. So kids are challenged to continue brushing for two minutes and as they brush a Disney or Marvel character image is revealed on the screen. So you know just prop the iPad or the phone on the side of the sink or on a towel and there is an Oral-B brushing study that says nine out of ten kids will brush longer using this app. It's already been named the number one app by Apple in age group six to eight. It's the number one downloadable in the age group as well and you can download it for free from Google Play or Apple so I'm loving that very cool. In addition to having a fun toothbrush you have to have the right toothbrush that's key. So for instance when kids are four months to 24 months they need something that is bigger that covers a lot of surface area, can massage their gums and has to have super soft bristles. As they get older they need a toothbrush that reaches everything. Oral-B Stages are great for that because they are designed to develop with your kids as they grow. Another tip is when to brush right. Kids start teething around four months I'm so glad I'm through that phase. So as soon as that first tooth pops up you can start working on it. It's really around two years old that kids can take a little pea size amount of fluorinated toothpaste and brush with that but you want to be in the room with them and making sure they aren't swallowing anything. And finally I suggest taking kids to the dentist before they have to go. Take them with an older sibling or take them with you and let them see it's not a scary place. So when it's their turn to go it's a positive experience and if you want any more information you can go to oralb.com/stages.