Are you tired of fighting with your child over dental care? Is it a struggle to get him or her to brush his or her teeth, nevermind going to the dentist? Children can't always anticipate the consequences of their actions. While this is true of younger children, it can be true of slightly older pre-teens and young teens. As a result, getting your kids to take care of their teeth can be a struggle. Fortunately, you still have time to instill proper dental care habits. Here are some suggestions that may help you on your quest:

Try not to argue: It can be difficult not to get drawn into a literal argument with your child about dental hygiene. Your child is of the age where "because I said so" is no longer, in his or her mind, a valid reason for you to make him or her do anything. Unfortunately, actual arguing won't make the problem better. The next time that he or she needs to brush his or her teeth or go to visit the dentist for various dental services, your previous eloquence will have been forgotten. All your child will remember is that you argued, not necessarily what you argued about.

Set up a reward system: So if arguing with your child is out of the question, what do you do instead? Set up a reward system that adds dental care and getting various dental services performed to his or her chore list. For brushing his or her teeth without being told or for getting ready early for a dental appointment, you might reward him or her with 100 points. Then each time you have to remind him or her, you take 10 points away from the reward. After your child has accumulated enough points, he or she can trade them for a slumber party with a friend or for a game that he or she has been wanting. 

Do something fun afterward:  Admit it, you probably don't especially enjoy brushing your teeth, having your teeth cleaned, or partaking of other dental services either. There's nothing wrong with doing something fun after the visit is over, to help make the day less unpleasant. If you or your child had to visit the dentist, consider getting something like pizza or ice cream on the way home. By replacing potentially unhappy memories with better ones, it will make the next visit to the dentist's office go a little more smoothly. Click here for more information.