1. Babies and Preschoolers - Have a bedtime routine that includes singing the ABC's while you brush their teeth.
My children are like most children and thrive when they have a schedule/routine. My children have a large age gap. I followed the same process for my oldest son as I now use for my preschooler. I give my preschooler a bath, brush and floss his teeth, and then read books before bedtime. He looks forward to his bedtime routine. Ever since he had his first tooth, I have sung the ABC song while I brush his teeth. There are a couple of reasons. First, our routine has helped him to become familiar with the ABC song. Second, he doesn't know how to read a clock and the song helps to give him a clue for how much time is left while we brush his teeth. I sing it three times. I repeat 1, 2, and 3 for each round. It's a nice way to communicate how much time is left when he isn't able to count very high.
2. Preschoolers and up - Use the Philips Sonicare Kids App.
The Philips Sonicare Kids App is a game changer. The app uses kid-friendly characters to track their teeth brushing progress. The Philips Sonicare Kids toothbrush is for ages 3+. My 10-year old has been using the app for a few years. My preschooler recently started to use it shortly after he turned 3 years old. My children often want to brush their teeth for extra rounds because they love the app. We are in the process of training my oldest to brush his own teeth, so he brushes the first round with the app. I then fully brush his teeth when he is done. While every child is different, my oldest son's dentist recommended that we continue to brush his teeth until he is mature enough to do it on his own. We are working toward that goal. We give him practice rounds with the Philips Sonicare Kids App as we work towards moving closer to his independence.
3. Use a toothbrush that gives a warning for brushing too hard.
When I was younger, my parents used to warn me that I was brushing my teeth too hard. I still sometimes wonder if I am applying too much pressure. This really is a tough question for many of us. Fortunately, several Philips Sonicare toothbrushes include technology to give a warning when you brush too hard. For instance, the Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean series is the line that my husband and I use to brush our teeth. This line includes an indicator if you brush too hard. I ordered the Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 4100 model on Amazon and love it. It turns out that I am not putting too much pressure on my teeth when I brush which makes me feel better. (It comes in pink, so it's easy to spot my toothbrush on the counter!) My husband has the ProtectiveClean 6100 model in black which also has the same pressure sensor feature. (I'll talk more about his toothbrush shortly!)
4. Teens and Adults should focus on preventative care.
My husband and I do not have dental insurance. We used to have dental insurance, but there were only a few dentists covered by the plan and we were not thrilled with our experiences, so we decided to stop paying for dental insurance and to pay on our own so that we could choose our own dentist. We are very happy with the family dentist that we visit, but it is expensive. We visit twice annually for cleanings and exams in hope of catching any problems early while it is easier and less expensive to treat. Dental work is quite expensive, so good oral care is also critical for our family. We think that good toothbrushes and supplies are an important investment in both our health and longterm finances. We use Philips Sonicare toothbrushes and heads because we think that preventative care is an important investment. To my knowledge, Philips Sonicare is an iconic brand with highly rated products that have been around for many years. As I mentioned earlier, my entire family uses Philips Sonicare toothbrushes. I bought my Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 4100 toothbrush and loved it so much that my husband wanted one too. He has a higher model than me - the Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 6100 toothbrush. The extra 6100 model features that really stand out beyond the 4100 model are that there are three intensities and three modes instead of one and it comes with a nice travel case. The modes include clean, whiten, and gum care. The whitening feature is really cool and works quite fast in just one week. Of course, as we get older, gum care becomes exceedingly more important, so that feature is greatly appreciated too!
5. Subscribe to toothbrush head refills.
I already mentioned that I spend around 100 hours a year brushing my children's teeth. That doesn't even include the time to brush my own teeth. Parenting is often exhausting. Sometimes the little conveniences in life make a big difference. I suspect that the Philips Sonicare team must include moms who are perfectionists because I recently came across the Philips Sonicare subscription service and realized that someone thought about how to add conveniences to the lives of busy moms. The Philips Sonicare team created a subscription service for toothbrush heads here. Philips Sonicare Subscription have an array of offerings, including three different handles, with varying features, and payment plans for each. They have different plans, but I love the quarterly subscription plan since this in in sync with recommendations from dentists to change your toothbrush head every three months. I love that the Philips Sonicare subscription service will ship new toothbrush heads without me even having to think about it. The subscription includes free shipping and you may cancel at any time. It's a great deal and one less errand to run!
All of the Philips Sonicare toothbrush heads are fantastic, but we use the Philips Sonicare W3 Premium White Toothbrush Heads. They are available through the Philips Sonicare toothbrush head subscription that I mentioned above. These toothbrush heads are highly rated on many websites such as the Amazon, Best Buy, and other websites. We love that they have a flexible design that adjusts to the unique contours of our teeth to enable more surface contact for better cleaning. The densely packed bristles remove surface stains and help to whiten teeth while protecting gums. Personally, our family of four does not have dental insurance, so an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure when it comes to dental care. We won't skimp on important preventative dental care and trust Philips Sonicare toothbrushes and toothbrush heads for our family.
I think that brushing teeth is one of those topics that every parents struggles with at some point in time. Children are not always reasonable or pleasant about brushing and flossing, so I hope that these tips help. If you came to this post by googling for tips about how to make it easier to brush your children's teeth, let me tell you that this is a very common frustration for parents and that almost all of us have been there at some point in time. For us, the tips that I mentioned above made a big difference -- the singing for baby/preschool stage, the Philips Sonicare app for older children, and the Philips Sonicare toothbrushes with the vibrating action to help teens! The pressure sensor feature is great for all ages, including children and parents. Plus, you'll appreciate the convenience of the Philips Sonicare subscription plans!
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