brushing teeth

Khadijah - posted on 04/05/2010

I am havign a similar problem. Both my birls hate it when I attempt to brush their teeth. THey clinch their mouth shut and twist and turn to keep me out of their mouth. I am afraid I am not giving them the best brush job. Their Pedi said I could use either finger brush or a clean wash cloth and get the same results. I started out using those things so I was trying not to go backwards and revert back to using them again. But I guess its better to do that than have them get cavities.

Tracy - posted on 04/01/2010

I bought my grandson a winnie-the pooh electric toothbrush, (heloves pooh) and when he gets in the tub, he gets his toothbrush to brush his teeth, then it is mommy or grandma's turn to finish brushing them. at 1st he was scared of the toothbrush, but he watched me and decided he wanted to try, now he loves brushing his teeth, and willingly lets us go over them again, he will be 2 in may..and we have been doing this since before his 1st birthday...good luck

Kathrin - posted on 03/31/2010

My daughter (20 months) had a phase a couple of weeks ago where she didn't want me to brush her teeth. She wouldn't open her mouth. I gave her a second tooth brush and her teddy bear and told her that she needed to brush the teddy's teeth. I told the teddy to open his mouth and she was so distracted by it, that she didn't mind me brushing her teeth. Now every time there is a problem, I get the teddy and let her brush the teddy's teeth. :-) Good luck!

Lea - posted on 03/30/2010

I would check with her pediatrician about whether shes old enough for fluoride toothpaste. Yes, we started using an electric toothbrush with my son very early. He didn't (and still doesn't) allow us to brush his teeth willingly, but thats too bad for him hes getting it anyway. I just took my son to the dentist today because of plaque buildup so I would say the more proactive you are the sooner the better. The worst thing would be if your child ended up with a cavity. Can you imagine what she would go through getting it filled or pulled? She doesn't want a toothbrush in her mouth, I guarantee she will hate a pick or drill or anything else. My son screamed and spit at the dentist today because he had to get the plaque scraped off. I don't mean to scare you but when you are forcing her to brush her teeth, just think of what shes going to go through if she doesn't. Some people think, they are just bagy teeth, they will fall out anyway so who cares, but they don't realize that they hold the spaces for the adult teeth. If they fall out too soon, thats just asking for orthodontic problems later on, not to mention gum disease and bad breath, etc. At any rate, its just a good idea for your kid to get used to brushing their teeth as a normal part of life (whether they like it or not). You have to get her used to it now and soon it will become a routine. If she doesn't get into the routine now, it will only get harder to teach (un-learn bad habits) later on. Sorry this was so long but as you can see this is the advice I wish we had been given sooner ourselves.

Karen - posted on 03/30/2010

I work in the dental profession, specifically with kids and it is very possible to get cavities at an early age. I know alot of people don't think it's as important to take care of baby teeth because they will fall out eventually, but the health of your child's primary teeth can have an effect on their permanent teeth as they are developing in their jaw. Try to make a game of it with your daughter - sing a song or they have little tooth brushes that play music for as long as you should brush. My son really likes to do things himself so what I usually do is sit on the floor with his head in my lap so that I can see really well and I brush first with just a wet toothbrush and then I let him brush with the toothpaste so he learns to spit it out. I explained that it was important to brush because we had to clean the cavity bugs away- now it's become kind of a mission for him :) If she doesn't like the toothbrush, try just a wet wash cloth or they have little "finger brushes" that you can buy. Good luck.

Jaclyn - posted on 03/30/2010

My son is 10 months old I have been brushing his gums/teeth since he was 4 months old so I don't have a problem brushing his teeth but I would try to make a game of it see if that works!

Elizabeth - posted on 03/29/2010

yes you can get cavities at a young age but it's nothing to worry about yet. First if she gets cavities in her baby teeth, they are just that baby teeth. And second my daughter was the same way. I will tell you what I did and you can try that is you have not already!

First I had her in my arms and I bush my teeth...Smile real big and say all clean...Then I turn on the water get her tooth brush and give it to her. Nothing on it! have her do it and understand, then put a little tooth paste on the brush and again let her do it. I did this for like a wk yes Alex's teeth where not "clean" like I wanted them but she was getting use t o brushing and then wanted to brush. After about a wk I brushed mine again while holding her, set her on the sink and said AHHH! She let me brush, after I brushed them I let her do it

Amy - posted on 03/29/2010

my daughter had one that sings when she brushes. she loved it and gets better and better. i feel like it's her baby teeth, but she still needs to take care of them. I let her brush away and then go "ok, let's make sure we didn't miss any spots." Honestly, at 14 months old, she isn't going to be the best tooth cleaner. it's just unrealistic. and an electric toothbrush would scare me if i were under 4 yrs.

Melissa - posted on 03/29/2010

I usually used the finger brush or a wash cloth to wipe her teeth. I also took her to the dentist when she was one and they brushed them, so now I tell her we are going to pretend we are at the dentist and brush teeth and she does just fine. Just keep at it. It's hit or miss here sometimes but we do it when we can!

Desiree - posted on 03/29/2010

When my son wouldn't let me use a toothbrush, I would use a clean washcloth over one finger. I found that it was abrasive enough to scrub his teeth and flexible enough to be able to work my finger around in his mouth.

CoreyAnn - posted on 03/28/2010

My daughter loves to brush her teeth too, she just doesn't let me do a good job because she wants to do it and I don't do a good job at it. I have tried the finger tooth brush but she bites my finger and that REALLY hurts. I think I might have found a way though, but thank you all for you advice :)

Margaret - posted on 03/27/2010

Have you tried a finger tip toothbrush? My daughter preferred that kind of brush at that age.

Michelle - posted on 03/27/2010

My parents didn't really enforce brushing, if I didn't then it was my fault. So I ended up with really bad cavities all through my childhood. Which ruined the chances for my adult teeth. I took a while in my teen years to get in the habit of brushing but it already did a lot and at 23 i have 13 fillings, and pulled tooth and need 2 more pulled. I take care of my self now but between getting weak teeth when I was younge and my father having weak teeth mine are bad!

I'm a stickler for getting my daughter to brush, I started by giving her a brush while she was in the bath tub and told her "do like mommy" and she watched and attempted. After we were done i would tell her to smile and let me see how she did and it gave me a chance to seak a few brushes. May not have gotten it all but it started the habit for her. Now every night before bed we have to brush our teeth together and I have to check how she did. Good luck

Ashley - posted on 03/26/2010

Well my Son is 18 months... but we play a game & sing a brush teeth song that i made up! he loves brushing his teeth, we just use a regular infant tooth brush with the orjal baby toothpaste! I brush his teeth 1st then he does it & he loves it that way, likes doing stuff by hisslef. i hope this helps you!