18 mo old teeth care/breath?

[colleentara]

I need some advice on dental care for DS who is 18 mos. He has 8 front teeth and a couple of molars poking through. He plays with the toothbrush--I sometimes try holding him down to 'brush' his teeth. I read about someone else doing this. Is that what I should be doing? Should I be using anything on the brush? It doesn't seem to be doing much. He, of course, hates it.
I'm also noticing that his breath hasn't been great lately. He's not sick, but has had a cold on and off---I'm not sure what to do for that either....if anything.
Thanks mamas!

[OJazzy1]

I am wondering the same thing. My son is the same age, his breath does not seem to be bad, I get him to "brush" if he is doing it himself so you can imagine how well done that is but otherwise it is like a big wrestling match and I really don't want to be shoving a toothbrush in to his mouth while he is grinding his teeth closed!
So obviously no advice here, just on the same page!

[alegna]

I brush mine from when they have teeth, so by 18 months they are well used to it. I do ds' in the bathtub (with me) these days. I tilt his head into my lap and brush. I use a TINY touch of non-fluoride tom's toothpaste.

-Angela

[TopHat]

We've been letting our DD brush her teeth for a while. She teethed early.

When she first started with it, she just chewed on the tooth brush and when she was no longer interested in it, I would take the tooth brush and tell her that "Now Mommy's going to brush your teeth" and brush them for her. She always seemed more open to me doing it after she got time with the brush.

Now, she picks up on the fact that we use toothbrushes in brushing motions, and does that (a little). I still wait until she's done to finish brushing for her.

Sometimes we use something on the brush, sometimes not. She likes a taste on the brush- we use a tiny bit of bakingsoda.

[no5no5]

The only time my DD's breath is bad is if she is dehydrated. Might that be the cause? Or post-nasal drip, if he's had a cold?

Personally, I think the toddler years are a great time to teach kids that toothbrushing is fun--and a really bad time to force the issue. If you force it, it's just going to be a power struggle, and the kid is going to hate brushing forever. When we started out, I'd let DD brush her teeth while I brushed mine, and then, if she would let me, I'd "check" to make sure she got them nice & clean (i.e., brush them myself). If she didn't want me to, I didn't. And she's always loved brushing her teeth.

Oh, and you can use a tiny bit of toothpaste if you like, but be aware that they make kids' flavors for a reason--mint is way too strong for my DD.

[wobit]

Originally Posted by no5no5

When we started out, I'd let DD brush her teeth while I brushed mine, and then, if she would let me, I'd "check" to make sure she got them nice & clean (i.e., brush them myself). If she didn't want me to, I didn't. And she's always loved brushing her teeth.

We started out similarly - making a point of letting her watch us, and now we have a settled routine where she hands me her toothbrush, I put a faint smear of paste on it, and she stands on a stool where she can see herself in the mirror. I stand behind her and brush her teeth while I sing the ABCs. When I'm done singing, she keeps on "brushing" while I brush my teeth, and she pretends to spit when I do. At the dentist's recommendation we have started pretend flossing her, too. She watches me floss, and then I floss one or two of her teeth.

Not forcing it is important. When she decides to close her mouth, I pull the brush away and pause singing. I might pantomime with my mouth either opening wide or smiling to show my incisors, and after a heartbeat or two she indicates willingness again. At first I think she mostly thought it was all very weird but now she goes running in to get her stool and toothbrush set up when it's time.

[sapphire_chan]

Something that's weird and might be helpful to other toddler mamas, is that Lina hated her little toothbrush and would throw it on the floor, but she'll happily brush away at her teeth with a full sized tooth brush and let me do some brushing as well. It can't get all the way back in her mouth, but she doesn't have any teeth all the way back yet.

[butterfly_mommy]

I started out with those silicone toothbrush (angel care I think)

When I started using a little brush I had two so I gave him one and I used one. I also asked him to open his mouth and be silly about it and when he pushes away or closes his mouth I respect that and give him a moment. I also leave the water running a bit so he can put his brush in the water and suck water off it, while I brush his teeth.

Now he is 22 mons and he is pretty co-operative about it with both me and DH.

[stiss]

We have a cup with three or four baby toothbrushes in it. We let him pick one, and then we pick one for us. We put a tiny bit of non-flouride toothpaste (kid's flavour) on each toothbrush, and then we take 'turns' brushing his teeth. I try and get him to mimic me, and I alternate between smiling and making the sound to go with it (like saying "cheese", but with your teeth together) and then "aaaaaah" with mouth open REALLY wide. It becomes a bit of a game (Eeeeee aaaaaahhhh eeeeeeee aaaaah, lol) and the success varies from day to day, but the routine helps and letting him have his own turn placates him enough to let me get in a little bit. Now that he's older (2 years) we talk about brushing the buggies out of his mouth, which he finds pretty funny.

[simplemama32]

DS (19 months) will stick his tongue out for me to brush...lol...but isn't that fond of having his teeth brushed. What works for us is for me to get really silly about it..."are those giraffes in there??! let me brush those giraffes out of your mouth!" or "Wow! Mama sees a train in there...let me take a closer look" and then make train sounds while I'm brushing.

So, I'm hoping he doesn't actually start thinking there are giraffes and trains in there, but at least I'm not forcing him... :-p

[Skippy918]

We used to have to hold DS's (15months)arms to brush his teeth because he would try and grab the toothbrush and chew on it. Eventually I think he figured out what we were doing, so now I just call him over and say "Time to brush teeth!" He comes over, opens his mouth and lets me brush his teeth.