First Impressions Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics

Maybe you just can’t get your child to sit still for more than a few seconds at a time. Or you’re convinced there’s no possible maneuver sufficient enough to help you hit that two-minute brushing benchmark goal. As parents ourselves, we understand your struggle to brush kids’ teeth! So we wanted to share some of our go-to maneuvers we’ve used with our kids at home. Let us know if you try one of these tricks, and which one worked best for you!

L A P

1. Sit with your child on the floor, laying them down on their back with their head resting on your lap. 
2. Use your non-brushing hand to cradle their head still while you brush from behind.
3. Bonus stabilization trick: rest your legs over your child’s legs and arms in order to keep them from wiggling or reaching around. 

S E A T E D 

1. Sit cross-legged with your child on the floor, placing them in an upright, seated position on one leg of your lap, with their legs pointing inward.
2. Hold their body close to yours, wrapping their inner-arm behind your back in a hug, and holding their head still with your non-brushing hand. 
3. Bonus stabilization trick: rest your free leg over the top of theirs to keep them still, like a scissors hold. 

C R A D L E D 

1. Sit cross-legged with your child on the floor, reclining them back in the crook of your non-brushing arm and wrapping their inner-arm around your back, like a laid-back hug.
2. Using your non-brushing hand, hold their free arm still.
3. Bonus stabilization trick: as you sit cross-legged rest your leg on top of theirs.