Brushing your teeth twice a daily is ingrained in most adults, but for children it can be a hard habit to form. They are too busy exploring their world, learning new things and having fun to want to slow down and do something as boring as brushing their teeth. Children tend to feel invincible and are not concerned with problems that might pop up down the road. All they care about is what is going to happen in the next ten minutes. Even older children and teens don’t always to put the effort into a good oral hygiene routine. So how do you combat this as a parent when trying to teach your child good brushing habits?
Luckily for you, there is an app for that. In our technology-savvy world, it is no surprise that we can use technology to help us encourage good brushing habits in our children. Here are the top eleven brushing apps for kids that help encourage good brushing habits:
Luca Lashes learns to brush his teeth
There is an eBook series called Luca Lashes that is perfect for teaching younger children to brush their teeth. In Luca Lashes learn to brush his teeth, your child will go along with Luca as he learns to brush his teeth for the first time. It addresses all the normal worries that a child might have when they are learning to brush their teeth. What child doesn’t like a good story time?
Brush your Teeth app by Concappt Media
With this app, your child can choose their favorite animal to brush their teeth with. They can choose what food the animal ate that day and put toothpaste on the animal’s toothbrush and clean their teeth before doing the same for their own set of snappers. Having an animal friend along for the journey will make it so much more fun for your child.
Brusheez: Little monsters toothbrush timer
With this app, it is little monsters that your child gets to brush teeth with. Your child can change the clothes and hair of the monster and play with them a little before the brushing begins. Then the characters will help guide your child through the brushing, singing and setting a timer for the recommended two minutes of brushing. If your child loves monsters, then this is the perfect app for them.
Chomper Chums by United Concordia Dental
This is another app where you child can brush with their favorite animal, but this one where the animals include cool predators like lions and crocodiles and offers commentary on the best places to brush inside your animal’s mouth. There is even a reward system for participating in the different activities and kids are encouraged to floss and rinse as well.
Brush teeth with Momo by Think Design Studio
This app allows your child to brush their teeth either on their own or with mom or dad. You follow along with a character named Momo as he brushes his teeth. You can pick the toothpaste and toothbrush he is using and you earn points that can be used to get Momo food, clothes or toys.
Disney Magic Timer
In collaboration with Crest and Oral-B, Disney has designed this brushing timer that rewards kids for doing a good job by revealing hidden Disney and Marvel characters the longer they brush for. If your child is obsessed with either Disney Princesses or superheroes then they will love this app. One important thing to note though is that the app requires you to use a Crest or Oral-B Pro-Health product.
Brush DJ
If your child is a music lover then they will love this app which plays 2 minutes of music from your iPad, iPod or phone to encourage proper brushing. Make a playlist of your kid’s favorite songs and he or she will love to jam out to the music while brushing. This app also will remind your child about dentist appointments and replacing their toothbrush.
A cute character called a “Nurdle” will teach your child how to reach every tooth when brushing through kid-friendly videos and a brushing timer. The app includes reward points that can be used to buy things for “Nurdle”.
Toothsavers
This app created by the Ad Council and the Partnership for Healthy Mouths Healthy Lives will send your child on a mission to save the kingdom from an evil sorceress. When they brush their teeth for two minutes they “scrub” away the spell from the kingdom’s inhabitants that include a pirate and a dragon and even Little Red Riding Hood. Your little adventurer will love to be the hero or heroine of the story with this cool app.
Tiny Dentist by Gametects
With this app, you kids get a better understanding of what happens during a visit to the dentist. Using fun characters and activities, it makes dental treatment less scary. Your kid can guide the treatment for each patient, basically anything from a cleaning to fillings and extractions. This is definitely one app that you should review carefully before you let you child use because some of the treatments are more adult-focused and too advanced for children.
Virtual Dentist by ModiFace
Virtual Dentist is definitely geared for older children and even adults. You upload a photo of your smile and then the app allows you to experiment with different treatment options showing you before and after results. Treatments range from the basic cleaning to stain removal to veneers and braces. If your tween has to get braces and is feeling apprehensive about it then this app will help her see what she looks like with them on and how she will look after they are taken off. You can even share your results on social media.
Most of these brushing apps work well with a reward chart for extra encouragement for your child. Your kids will love brushing their teeth with any one of these apps. The key is to make it fun and to cheer them along as they master the proper brushing technique.
