Latest Dental Tech: “Smart Toothbrushes” Teaching Children to Brush

If you’re a parent, then you’re probably familiar with the horrors of trying to motivate your child to brush their teeth. Well, Ubisoft – a popular game publishing company - has teamed up with gaming developers that may have found a way to truly motivate your children in brushing their teeth using a specialized toothbrush combined with an interactive Smartphone game that can be downloaded from the App Store.

Kolibree & Ubisoft Team Up to Create Innovative Toothbrush Game

The company, Kolibree, have produced a “smart toothbrush” that encourages children to brush their teeth by engaging in a whacky type of game involving characters that closely act in the same manner as Minions from the Despicable Me series. It’s a truly innovative method on teaching children excellent oral hygiene habits at an early age, where it’s critical to teach your child the importance of maintaining a consistent, healthy brushing (and flossing) routine.

The new interactive game sounds great in theory, but we aren’t exactly sure how it will pan out. Our main concerns are that it may cause too much difficulty trying to setup & prepare, or suffer from technical issues, or even result in an accidental dropping of your Smartphone into water effectively damaging it. However, it seems very fun for children and is worth a look.

For an example of what the game looks like, you may visit their Youtube channel. 

Traditional Ways of Motivating Children to Brush

If you feel this type of technology isn’t for you and that you would rather stick to other, more traditional methods, then we have a couple for you.

Music

No matter what age you are, there’s a sound for everyone. Bluetooth speakers are very common nowadays for affordable prices. Or you could use the speaker on your Smartphone. No matter how you produce the sound, music is an effective way to distract your children while they brush and floss. Remember, 2 minutes of proper brushing is all you really need, followed by a round of flossing – especially before bedtime.

Brush with Them

Simply brushing with your children is a great way to encourage them to brush. This helps them establish a routine, as well as gives them the opportunity to ask questions. It also gives the parents an opportunity to analyze their brushing habits and make corrections where necessary.

No matter what route you take, two things are important: 1. making sure your child is aware of proper brushing and flossing technique (if you are unsure yourself, you may always ask your dentist during a checkup and they will gladly demonstrate), and 2. staying consistent about it. If these two items occur, then your children will significantly decrease their chances of developing oral health issues or suffering from tooth decay.