It’s never too early to teach a child about their teeth and how to keep a healthy smile.

While many dentists recommend a child visit the dentist for the first time before their first birthday, many parents aren’t sure of how to explain all the benefits of great oral health hygiene to their little ones. –This all starts from an early age.

First Stop: The American Dental Association’s Website

If you are looking for some fun activities for your children to learn about healthy oral habits, visit the American Dental Association’s (ADA) website for kids and adults. There, you will find all sorts of resources and activities for children of all ages.

If you’re looking for activity sheets, the ADA has a plethora of options – from coloring sheets to dot-to-dots, mazes, and more. Each sheet also explains good dental health practices in a fun and friendly way for each child’s age group.

There are also holiday themed activities, in case you and your little pumpkin want to carve a tooth-related pumpkin on Halloween, or focus on Fourth of July fireworks while learning about dental health.

Check out some books on teeth from the library.

If you and your child like to read, there are many different titles by some famous authors that talk about teeth. That includes one by Dr. Seuss, and even a book in the Berenstain Bears series that talks about teeth and dental health. Head to the library and ask a friendly librarian for help in finding books that cater to first time dental visits or how to brush your teeth. You can always ask the team at the Tooth Doc for their favorite tooth-related read, too.

For caregivers of children, a good resource to learn about dental care for your child is Your Child’s Teeth by Evelina Weidman Sterling and Angie Best-Boss.

Watch some toothy videos.

Another way to learn about dental health is by watching an education video. There are many videos about dental hygiene, how to properly brush teeth, the causes of bad breath, and much more. You can always use a search engine on the internet to find a video on a reputable resource, like the American Dental Association, or a toothpaste manufacturer, like Crest or Colgate.

Make your own toothpaste.

What better way to make brushing your teeth more personal than creating your own toothpaste? Grab your kids, and using the simple recipe below, create your own personalized toothpaste.

 Simple homemade toothpaste

• 4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp flavoring

Mix all of the ingredients together to create your very own toothpaste. Store in an airtight container until you are ready to use.

Making homemade toothpaste is perfect for those children who are picky with flavors. The flavoring used to make your toothpaste can be any food-safe extract you can find–from peppermint to lemon to cherry. The possibilities are endless!

Don’t forget about flossing!

You don’t want to forget to enforce good flossing habits with children! One way to do that is by creating a marshmallow mouth where a child can practice flossing the marshmallow “teeth.” All you need is a piece of construction paper, folded in half, then shaped to look like a mouth – almost oval in shape. After the shape is cut, open up the paper and glue mini marshmallows along the inside to look like teeth. Once the paper is folded back in half, you should have your marshmallow mouth! Now you can use dental floss and practice proper flossing techniques on your marshmallow mouth.

Want some hands-on tooth activities?

If you and your children are more hands-on, there are many different craft activities you can do, including learning the proper way to brush your teeth. You can do a simple internet search with your child’s age and the type of activity you want to do for endless ideas on dental care. So many great pages like this one will inspire you to do more!

Learn fun facts to impress your friends and teachers.

Here are some fun facts for your kids to learn from Dr. Robin’s school of “pre-medicine.” She has conglomerated 50 toothy facts on this page, so there will be something for everyone to find fascinating. And, who knows, maybe your child will impress their teacher and friends at school with their new knowledge!

Visit the Tooth Doc in Omaha

At the Tooth Doc, Doctors Matz, Dan, and Leslie, along with the entire dental team, are more than happy to welcome new patients of all ages. If you want to give your child an in-person tour of our office, we’re more than happy to schedule one and help your child feel comfortable visiting the dentist. Give us a call today!