Tips For Teaching Your Special Needs Child How to Brush Their Teeth

Teaching your child how to brush their teeth can be difficult. Having a special needs child can bring unique challenges to the table, which sometimes can be difficult to navigate. Here are a few tips that could help you teach your child how to brush their teeth!

Role Play

Young children usually have that one favorite stuffed animal. They consider it their friend, companion, and sometimes even their family member. It can be incredibly helpful to show your child how to floss and brush their teeth on their favorite animal. Seeing the act of brushing teeth performed on their favorite stuffed animal can help to take away any anxiety they may have about it. Another great reason to bring in your child’s favorite stuffed friend is simply to have it there for comfort!

Put Music On

Most activities are far more fun when you have some upbeat music playing in the background. Believe it or not, brushing your teeth is one of those activities! If you want to get your child excited about dental hygiene, play some of their favorite songs and get them pumped! A bonus is that most songs are at least two minutes long which will get them in the habit for brushing and flossing for two minutes. When your child is able to listen to their favorite song every time they brush their teeth, it will help them to get excited about their oral health.

Tag Team

In the early stages of teaching your child to brush their teeth, you’ll most likely have to brush for them. This could easily turn into a high stress situation. A great way to approach this is to bring in both parents. One parent could hold the child and comfort them, making them feel safe, while the other parent could do the actual brushing and flossing. This will help your child calm down and associate positive and calm feelings with brushing their teeth!

If you have any questions about your child’s dental health, please call us at Great Grins For Kids Phone Number 502-231-1418.