10 Dental Products Kids Will Love

Your child’s oral health is important at all stages of development, especially since their baby teeth play an essential role in the development of healthy adult teeth. This makes it vital to start teaching them about oral health and establishing an oral hygiene routine from an early age including what dental products to use and how to use them. Doing so helps to build lifelong habits that will keep them healthier well into adulthood. But how do you get your child interested in caring for their teeth and gums? The answer is simple: make it fun!

Children learn best when they’re having fun, especially when they’re young. After all, fun activities are more likely to capture your child’s attention and make them excited to learn or complete specific activities. Knowing this makes it much easier to teach your child many different life skills and lessons—including teaching them about oral health and oral hygiene routines. If you’re not sure how to make oral hygiene fun for your kids, don’t worry! You can infuse a lot of fun into your child’s daily routine simply by using the right dental products. There are plenty of kids’ dental products out there that are aimed at helping your child enjoy caring for their teeth and gums. Here’s how you can choose the best dental products for the job, including 10 great kids’ dental products that your child is likely to love.

How to select a good toothbrush.

When you’re choosing a toothbrush for your baby or toddler, make sure to choose a small toothbrush that’s labeled for their age range. It should fit comfortably in their mouth and should have extra soft bristles so that it won’t irritate their sensitive gums. As your child gets older, it’s a great idea to let them choose their toothbrush. Even something as simple as a toothbrush with their favorite animal or TV characters on it can spark their interest in their regular oral hygiene routine! There are also many fun and incredibly useful kids’ dental products that can help teach your child in an exciting way.

1. Electric Toothbrush

When your child is old enough to use one, electric toothbrushes can help ensure your child brushes their teeth effectively without scrubbing too hard—all while helping them have fun! Some electric toothbrushes play songs for two minutes to help your child spend the right amount of time brushing, while others come with apps to tell you if they’re missing spots, helping them learn to brush thoroughly.

2. BrushyBall

BrushyBall is an adorable toothbrush holder that doubles as a tooth-brushing buddy designed to teach you how to brush your teeth. It coaches your child through their routine using a follow-the-leader game, making brushing teeth fun and educational for your child! You can also find a range of similar toys on the market, so you can always find an option your child is sure to love.

How and when to choose mouthwash.

Kids need to spit out fluoridated mouthwash when they’re done using it, so the ADA recommends that children don’t use it until they’re around six years old. Younger children might not have developed the muscles they need to avoid swallowing while they’re trying to swish with mouthwash. Once your child reaches around six years old, have them swish water around in their mouth and spit it back in the cup. If they haven’t swallowed any of the water, they’re likely ready for fluoridated mouthwash. Fluoride can provide invaluable help in protecting your child’s teeth against cavities, so it’s a vital part of any oral hygiene routine.

3. Flavored Mouthwash

Flavored mouthwash for kids is a great way to get your child to look forward to this part of their oral hygiene routine. Bubblegum is perhaps the most popular flavor, but if your child doesn’t like it, there are plenty of other flavors to choose from. Just make sure that your child continues to understand that they shouldn’t be swallowing it, monitor them while they use it, and put the mouthwash away where young children can’t reach it.

4. Light-Up Lids

Some kids’ mouthwash even comes with features that help your child do a better job of using the product properly. For example, there’s a type of mouthwash with a lid that lights up for 30 seconds. This feature alerts your child when they’ve swished enough, giving their teeth the maximum benefit from the product.

How and when to choose floss.

You should start flossing your child’s teeth as soon as two of their teeth erupt close enough together to do so. Flossing is incredibly important for oral health because it cleans parts of the teeth that toothbrush bristles can’t reach and removes plaque and bacteria from the gum line. When it comes right down to it, flossing is the best way to prevent gum disease. While your child likely won’t be ready to start flossing more independently until they’re around six or seven years old, it’s never too early to start teaching them how to floss their own teeth, especially if they begin showing interest in doing it for themselves. In fact, getting them interested early could be vital for encouraging them to form life-long flossing habits! Thankfully, you can pique their interest in flossing using several cool kids’ dental products.

5. Gumchucks

Gumchucks are a fun spin on floss picks for kids. They’re designed to look like nunchucks, making them just as fun to play with as they are to use! They also come with trading cards featuring a range of fun characters your child is sure to love, making them interactive. If the nunchucks themselves aren’t enough of a motivation to floss, the cards might be—they won’t get new cards until they’ve used all of the Gumchucks up.

6. Waterpik

If your child is struggling to get the hang of flossing, getting a Waterpik Water Flosser for Kids might be the perfect solution. These water flossers are easy and effective—and they’re pretty cool! The water flosser is also easy for your child to personalize, with plenty of room on its surface for them to decorate using stickers.

How to choose breath mints or mouth freshener if your child needs it.

The best way to ensure your child maintains good breath is to ensure they’re practicing a regular, thorough oral hygiene routine—including brushing their tongue. If they still need a little help in the breath department, you may want to give them breath mints or mouth freshener. But how do you choose options that are effective, good for their teeth, and enjoyable for them? Focus on solutions that contain xylitol instead of sugar. It’s a natural sweetener that helps prevent cavities.

7. Zellie’s Mints

These mints were created by a dentist, so you know they’re good for your little one’s teeth! They don’t contain any artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners, but they come in great flavors like spearmint and cherry berry. Your child will enjoy the taste without even realizing how healthy they are!

8. Breath Strips

For older children, breath strips might be a quick solution for bad breath. Since several over-the-counter medications look very similar to them, however, they’re not recommended for young children who could get them confused with other medications.

Snacks and candy that are good for your teeth.

Believe it or not, you can also use certain kinds of candy to help care for your child’s oral health! These types of candy use xylitol as a sweetener instead of sugar and help restore the acidity level of your child’s mouth, actively helping to prevent decay. There are many types of these candies, from mints to lollipops or chewy candies, and they taste delicious enough that your child will think they’re just getting a normal treat!

9. Zollipops

A tooth-healthy alternative to lollipops that uses xylitol as a natural sweetener instead of sugar, these flavored lollipops were actually created by a nine-year-old named Alina Morse. This means they’re a sweet treat for kids made by a fellow kid!

10. Zaffi Taffy

This is a tooth-healthy alternative to popular taffy candies, which are often full of unhealthy sugars and tend to stick to your child’s teeth, making them doubly bad for them. Zaffi taffy is sugar-free, high in Vitamin C, and actively helps to clean your child’s teeth as they eat them!

A pediatric dentist can help guide your child’s dental health.

Teaching your child about taking care of their oral health while they’re young is the best way to encourage them to build habits that’ll keep them healthy for a lifetime. It can feel like a challenge to know when to introduce certain aspects of their routine or how to capture their interest, but many dental products aim to help you do just that. Plus, your kids’ dentist is here to help! If you have any questions about your child’s oral hygiene routine or how you can get them excited about it, feel free to call and schedule a consultation with Dr. Jaynes at any time.