Sooner or later, your children are going to grow into pre-teens and suddenly start to care a lot more about their appearance. Suddenly, they want to pick out their own outfits for the day and you might even find that your daughter has been rummaging your makeup stash – it’s not easy to say whether we should feel happy about this or not.

One thing that is definitely good news is that they will start to become more responsible about their appearance which includes, of course, taking better care of their teeth; perhaps you won’t even have to remind them to brush anymore.

You can make sure that they care for their teeth and get rid of their fear of the dentist a bit quicker, though, by having a look at the tips below. It’s just going to make it a bit easier for them to build a healthy dental foundation that will keep their smiles bright for longer.

First: Set a good example

Just like with everything else, your kids will pay attention to everything you’re doing and attempt to copy you. This is great when you’re doing the right kind of things, though, and you’re surely hoping that they’re paying more attention when you’re carefully tending to your teeth rather than when you’re consuming your second chocolate bar of the day.

Setting a good example means that you should brush your teeth together when your kid is old enough to handle the toothbrush on their own. Spend some time in the bathroom, remember to floss, and talk about how they can brush their teeth to take better care of them.

Healthy teeth does mean a less scary visit to the dentist, after all, and the better they are at brushing their teeth after eating candy and never neglecting their dental routine, the cheaper these visits will be on your wallet as well.

Next: Practice going to the dentist

If your kid is a bit more frightened of going to the dentist than other kids, you might want to talk them through the process a bit first. It’s natural to dislike these visits but they are still important enough to push through; set up a play-pretend dentist visit with your child to make them a bit more comfortable about the process.

You can talk about what the dentist might be doing with their teeth during the appointment, for example, and prepare them a bit more in case they are going to get braces or the more subtle invisalign to straighten out their smile.

Let your child pretend to be the dentist as well, by the way, to give them a sense of control and a better understanding of what a dentist does when they open wide. Play-pretend is how children learn about the real world and how they prepare themselves for it so don’t miss out on this opportunity to make the dentist visit a bit more comfortable.

You could even bring your child along to your own dentist appointment if you have one coming up soon, by the way, as this is a great opportunity for them to witness the process without having to be in the spotlight.

It’s going to make it a lot easier for them when it’s time for their own appointment – and they might even get a newfound understanding of how they can take better care of their own teeth in the future.