How to Break Children's Bad Dental Habits

Practicing good dental health from a young age ensures that the child maintains their teeth. A child's teeth need to be taken care of as soon as the first tooth breaks through. Breaking their bad habits and teaching them how to take care of their teeth should be part of their daily instruction.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Set an example. If you only brush your teeth once or twice a day, then your child probably won't want to brush her teeth as often as you would like. Make a ritual of brushing your teeth together three times a day.

2. Keep the bottle away at night. Although a bottle or sippy cup may comfort a child at night, these habits can cause cavities to appear. Replace the juice or milk in the cup with water if they refuse to go to bed without one.

3. Break the thumb-sucking habit. Set up a rewards program to stop the thumb sucking. Distraction is another way to break this bad dental habit.

4. Wean the child off of a pacifier. Excessive pacifier use is also a bad dental habit that can lead to buck teeth.

5. Stop the child from swallowing the toothpaste. Although many children do this, it can become a problem if the toothpaste contains fluoride. Switch to a fluoride-free brand or help the child limit the amount of toothpaste that they place on the toothbrush.

Tips & Warnings

• If you need assistance breaking bad dental habits, ask your child's dentist for advice.
• Thumb sucking and pacifier use is acceptable for short-term use if it helps calm your child. Long-term use is when it becomes a bad dental habit.

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