It’s time to get your children to brush their teeth. Do you tackle their enticement with enthusiasm or dread? As you would expect in this mobile age, if dread was your answer, there’s an app for that!
Children in the 21st century are as comfortable with technology as they are breathing. Sometimes an app is the difference between battles and tears or willing brushers with healthy mouths.
Here are just a few examples of what’s available…and it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Toothbrush Timers
Appcrawlr recently listed some of the best toothbrush timer apps for children. A couple of favorites of families we know are Talking Ginger (also called Ginger Cat) and T-Rex Toothbrush Timer.
Talking Ginger is a FREE app (And how can you go wrong with free?) that isn’t just a timer. Ginger will repeat things your children say, when a button is pressed. Which, in our experience, causes peals of laughter for way longer than you’d think possible from having a copycat. They can also unlock jigsaw puzzles and help Ginger get ready for bed. To help them get ready for bed, Ginger will also time them as they brush their teeth together.
T-Rex Timer is strictly a timer app, though you do get to brush the dino’s teeth as well. Its biggest benefit is teaching your children where to brush their teeth and for how long. Using visuals for each tooth quadrant, it counts down how much time they have left to brush. Though not free, like Talking Ginger, it is only .99, which is a very affordable investment to get your children to brush their teeth.
Gaming Toothbrushes
If you’re children are gamers, they’ve recently released toothbrushes for young gamers, called Grush. Here’s how it works:
The games teach them how to brush for the correct amount of time (30 seconds) in each quadrant, using the proper angles. It uses games such as Monster Chase, where they chase away the “baddies” on their teeth. They’re given feedback by means of a “Grush Factor score. Other games include them becoming a toothbrush conductor to play beautiful music while brushing, and caring for a cyber giraffe.
Parents get all the information about their children’s brushing through a cloud account. All their success (and areas they still need work on) is uploaded to the account for you to monitor and reward, if you so choose.
If you’re a techie kind of family (or a desperate one), these toothbrush apps and games could be just the thing that brings your lovely kiddos from brawling to begging to brush their teeth.
Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.