If you're concerned about your child's oral health, the best thing you can do is start practicing good oral hygiene at home. The basic techniques that you teach to your child can help them through the rest of their childhood. Here are a few tips that can teach them the basics.

Show Them Slow Motions

You don't want to give your child a toothbrush and hope for the best. It will help to show them the proper techniques they need to use for brushing their teeth. It may be best to do this separately from your morning or nighttime brushing routine, since you want to take your time rather than rush through it.

Show your child how to brush in various motions, such as side-to-side, back and forth, and small circles. Teach them how the brush should be overlapping their gums, not just resting on the teeth. This will help ensure that don't just have the toothbrush in their mouth but are doing a good job at moving the brush around.

Act As Their Mirror

Brush with your child, and then tell your child to mimic your motions as you brush. This includes what section of your mouth you are brushing, as well as what techniques you use to get each part of your mouth. Repeating this with your child enough times can help them learn what they should be doing.

Select A Nice Toothpaste

Consider getting your child their own special toothpaste that they will use each time they brush. Rather than just the mint flavored toothpaste that you use, your child may like a toothpaste that is fruit flavored. It can make the entire brushing process much more appealing, because they will look forward to using their fruit flavored toothpaste.

Watch Tooth Brushing Timer Videos

Another thing you need to do is teach your child to brush for the proper amount of time. If not, they'll be done in under 30 second and not perform effective brushing. You'll want your child to brush for two minutes if they are going to do a good job. Look for tooth brushing timer videos online that you can play for your child to motivate them to brush for the full two minutes. Disney even offers a timer app that will reveal a fun photo each time they brush for two minutes.

Teaching your child how to brush can go a long way in keeping their teeth healthy. But even if your child has their brushing technique down, it a good idea to schedule appointments for preventative dental care services at least once or twice a year.