Some days, being a parent is one of the best things in the world and other days you have to try and get them to brush their teeth. Brushing the child’s teeth that they do not want to be brushed is not the easiest thing to do. Developing a culture of good hygiene is so important in your home, however, you have to do all that you can to still be able to get them to brush their teeth and keep their tongue and gums as clean as possible.

From having the right dental supplies in stock in your home, to making sure that you are as patient as possible, you need to be able to stand in front of your children and make them excited to brush their teeth at the beginning and the end of the day. Hygiene is important in the life of your children but there is a task that can appear to be tiresome and pointless to them. Some children refuse to brush their teeth and they will scream and scream, but as a parent you have to develop the right patience and techniques to be able to avoid that. Dentists will recommend that you brush children’s teeth at least twice a day, so here are five tips for making them do it while having fun.

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• Start as early as possible. As soon as you see that first tooth budding, give your child a toothbrush just to hold and chew on. They don’t have to brush it effectively, you don’t have to brush effectively, they won’t let you, but you might find that they will chew on the toothbrush. At two years of age, you should start getting them involved in the teeth brushing process. Before then, you can make it a game and brush their teeth as you chase them.

• Make it a family activity. Children will often mimic what their parents do, so if you can model good oral hygiene behaviour your child is likely to take up. They may love the idea of brushing their teeth with you like a big boy or a big girl at the vanity. When you are brushing your teeth, get them involved in brushing best.

• Adjust and overcome. If your child is struggling with the taste of the toothpaste, get them to try different flavours until they find one that they like. If they are bulking over the idea of the texture of the toothbrush, there are mouth shaped toothbrushes that all they have to do is bite down and move from side to side. There are options for you to adjust and overcome as you need to.

• Play some music or set a timer. This is an easy one, it keeps the child motivated to continue to brush your teeth until the music is finished.

• Continue with high praise. If you have a nervous child or a child who has never brushed their teeth on their own before, continue to pray for their behaviour and their willingness to learn.