It’s easy to tell your children to floss their teeth every day, and you can try to do it for them - but it would be a lot easier if you could demonstrate to them how flossing works and why it’s important. Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry walks you through this simple demonstration from the Nova Scotia Dental Association, step-by-step to help you explain how to floss, to your kids.
What You’ll Need for the Peanut Butter Flossing Demonstration
Before you get started, you’ll need to gather your materials. You will need:
- Rubber glove
- Peanut butter (or something other sticky food, i.e. jelly, marshmallow fluff, or Nutella)
- Dental floss
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
Teaching Your Kids to Floss at Home
Put the rubber glove on one hand and smear the peanut butter between your four fingers. Then, squeeze your fingers together and hold your hand up to show your children. Your fingers represent the teeth, while the peanut butter represents food and bacteria that gets stuck in the teeth and causes cavities.
While still squeezing your fingers together tightly, use the toothbrush and toothpaste to clean away the peanut butter. After you’ve brushed them, open up your fingers to reveal how much peanut butter is still left between them. This reiterates how much bacteria and food particles are still left in the mouth and on the teeth even after thoroughly brushing.
Now, squeeze your fingers tightly back together again and let your child use the dental floss to go between each finger and remove the peanut butter. This is a great time to teach proper flossing technique. Instruct them to move the floss in a zig-zag motion, making a C-shape around the fingers.
Put Flossing into Practice
After the demonstration, your child should have a better understanding of how flossing works and why it is crucial for their dental health. Now it’s time to have your children start flossing on a daily basis. Supervise them to ensure they are flossing each tooth from the front to the back.
Contact Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry for more dental hygiene tips
If you’re having trouble with getting your child to brush or floss, or having trouble explaining why dental health is so important, contact Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry. Oral health education and community service are two of our core values. Our team of doctors are dedicated to ensuring your child grows up with a healthy smile.
