Toothbrushing tantrums

[Hannahkatiebell]

My DS is almost two and a half and HATES having his teeth brushed. He kicks, screams, shoves the brush away, cries, etc. You get it. We've tried a lot of different strategies, but would love to find a "magic trick" to make this time more enjoyable for our family. Help!!!

[LadyCatherine185]

We've had exactly the same experience. I keep meaning to post a thread, so I will lurk in yours. DS has already had cavities and extensive dental work done at the ripe old age of 21 months, so we HAVE TO brush his teeth everyday. It is the worst part of the day, I would love some suggestions.... Here are some that people have given me that we've tried and haven't worked for us but may work for you--

*a special "teeth brushing" song
*letting him brush himself first
*a light-up toothbrush
*a toothbrush that makes noise/music
*no toothpaste
*good tasting toothpaste
*make it into a game
*trying at different times of the day
*trying in the bath

[dachshund mom]

I play the Raffi "Brush Your Teeth" then we sing it while we brush. Let him brush your teeth first, or watch you brush. Give him a book or interesting thing to look at while you brush. Brush them in the bathtub. If things go south, I stop and try later.

[sarah1122]

I give my son my toothbrush and let him brush my teeth while I'm brushing his. He's so focused on brushing mama's teeth that he's totally forgets that I'm brushing his.

[Halfasianmomma]

My DD had to be sedated under general anesthesia to have 8 of her teeth fixed and her molars caped. She was 20 months at the time of the surgery. The recovery from the sugery was horrible so I wasn't about to have a repeat of that.`

FTR, DD gets her teeth brushed 3 times a day, twice by me and once by her dcp. She's used to it by now. I have an electric Dora toothbrush I bought at the pharmacy for 3$ and she likes that better than any other brush.

To be quite honest, I don't care if DD hits or kicks or anything. I lay her down on the couch or on the carpet on the floor, I turn on Baby Einstein, sit on her legs and tell her to open up. We sometimes play "The Opera Game" where I sing in super high pitches saying AAAAAH and EEEEEE to get her to immitate me. Sometimes that works. If it doesn't, sometimes the tv will distract her. If nothing works, I tell her that she can either make it easier or make it harder. I try to make the brushing quick but efficient, but I don't let her struggles get in the way.

I know it sounds harsh but I don't want DD to get more cavities and her dental surgeon told me she's got hypoplasia in her tooth enamel, so she's predisposed to cavities. Can't take chances.

[LadyCatherine185]

Originally Posted by Halfasianmomma

My DD had to be sedated under general anesthesia to have 8 of her teeth fixed and her molars caped. She was 20 months at the time of the surgery. The recovery from the sugery was horrible so I wasn't about to have a repeat of that.`

FTR, DD gets her teeth brushed 3 times a day, twice by me and once by her dcp. She's used to it by now. I have an electric Dora toothbrush I bought at the pharmacy for 3$ and she likes that better than any other brush.

To be quite honest, I don't care if DD hits or kicks or anything. I lay her down on the couch or on the carpet on the floor, I turn on Baby Einstein, sit on her legs and tell her to open up. We sometimes play "The Opera Game" where I sing in super high pitches saying AAAAAH and EEEEEE to get her to immitate me. Sometimes that works. If it doesn't, sometimes the tv will distract her. If nothing works, I tell her that she can either make it easier or make it harder. I try to make the brushing quick but efficient, but I don't let her struggles get in the way.

I know it sounds harsh but I don't want DD to get more cavities and her dental surgeon told me she's got hypoplasia in her tooth enamel, so she's predisposed to cavities. Can't take chances.

Yep, we had the same dental experience.. DS had 6+ cavities, plus a tooth that was chipped that needed fixed. It was horrible and expensive so we can't afford to go there again. It takes 2 of us to brush his teeth currently, so that's why we only do it once a day. One of us has to hold his arms and legs while the other brushes. It is horrible, and I hate it. You would think after doing this for the last year or so, he'd be used to it and stop screaming, kicking, and fighting... I wish there was another way.

[kimmypoo]

When DD fights brushing (which is most of the time) I'll sit on the floor with my legs straight out. Then I lay her down between my legs and I put her arms under my legs so she can't grab the toothbrush or fight. Ususally she's hollering so her mouth is wide open. Just watch out for kicking. I know it sounds mean, but it gets the job done and it's over pretty quickly.

[PeachBaby]

If you have other members of the family, you might try gathering everyone together and have everyone brush their teeth on a regular basis, making it seem like a fun "toothbrushing party" every time while lo watches. You might encourage lo to join in. Ideally, best to let lo choose to decide when and if to participate. Lo may not want to at first or even for the first few days, but sometimes, if you still pretend it doesn't matter and just keep showing how fun it is without pressuring them, they may warm up to the idea (DS hates being pressured, but is more willing if I let him decide). I have been doing this and it works for us. Kids learn a lot by copying; they like to do what we adults are doing. And they often like to do it themself rather than being told or made to do it. DS sees us brushing and then goes to get his toothbrush to join us. If possible, I try to do it as many times throughout the day (if other family members are not available, I still show him that I brush often). DS then gets used to *seeing* us brushing often.

And one other thing I tried (by accident, didn't mean to do it, and don't want to keep it up forever, but in the meantime, if it works, I'll do it) is:

I was flicking the toothbrush off his teeth and his saliva sprayed all over into my face, so I made a big show of being surprised and comically wiping off my face, and DS lit up with huge laughter. So he let me brush/flick again, and we were off. I get to do the best toothbrush cleaning on him this way.

These are the two things that work best for us, and now DS even lets me brush his teeth now (since he can't do a very good job himself yet) without too much fuss.

[karika]

I had the same experience with dd1. Held her down. Forced her to brush her teeth. Had extensive dental work done on baby teeth. I am in the minority here, but I no longer force the issue. I changed our diet and we are taking supplements that will remineralize the teeth. I have researched toothpaste and the ingredients and I believe it is a major cause of the dental problems we see in our children, combined with diet. She now brushes with water only. We are now GFCFSF and were already all natural with no HFCS, dyes, and the like.

I believe if we are to take our children to a dentist, it should be a holistic one that has pledged to be mercury free (no silver fillings). More and more are standing up to the ADA and speaking out for the health of our children. Money has been driving the 'health' industry for too long. I now only choose to visit health professionals that know about true health, which is through nutrition (which eliminates 99.9% of MDs and 97% of dentists). I would not repeat what was done to my dd1 again. I now believe if it is not hurting them, don't worry about it. I believe the dentists are making money, just like most of the health industry.

I also am a big believer that when children come to this world, they know more than we that are enmeshed in the matrix know. If a small child is fighting something that strongly, it is for a reason IMO. Having a child that drinks only breastmilk and water, and eats only pure foods should be enough (taking a probiotic and some other supplements also because those good bacteria protect the body from the bad bacteria, and we as humans no longer get the good bacteria in our foods for the most part.) . Make sure the child rinses with water as often as you think of it. Taking a sip and swishing it around the mouth before swallowing. This displaces all particles that could be stuck. I also use my fingernails to scrape my teeth and will teach that to my children.

When I was in Recreational Botany in college, I remember learning about a tree that was good to chew for tooth and mouth health. I would do that too if I could remember what tree it was. Anyone know?

[tracyjean1016]

Not sure if you do any sort of TV or other similar media, but what works for us is I put on a youtube video (tractors, puppies, kittens, monster trucks, whatever - most are just a few minutes long which is perfect for a toothbrushing session) and then give him a toothbrush for a minute or so (so he does it "himself" first). Then he knows it's my turn and I brush his teeth while he watches the rest of the video. It is literally the only thing that works, short of holding him down and having him scream the whole time. I too am pretty vigilant about brushing since he ended up with decay on his top four teeth - I think a combination of simply bad genes, night nursing, and us not being super vigilant about brushing teeth when he first got them.

Every once in awhile he will let me brush with no fussing in the bathroom if I tell him that I am a bird and he is a crocodile, but he has to be in just the right mood.

Hope that helps, I don't love myself for resorting to the video trick, but I think that as soon as he can actually brush his teeth well on his own (and he's getting there), it won't be such an issue. I think some kids just want to do absolutely everything by themselves and when they can't, it is frustrating for them and probably humiliating to have mom or dad have to do it. Anyway, I feel your pain mama and good luck!

[olien]

Originally Posted by karika

I had the same experience with dd1. Held her down. Forced her to brush her teeth. Had extensive dental work done on baby teeth. I am in the minority here, but I no longer force the issue. I changed our diet and we are taking supplements that will remineralize the teeth. I have researched toothpaste and the ingredients and I believe it is a major cause of the dental problems we see in our children, combined with diet. She now brushes with water only. We are now GFCFSF and were already all natural with no HFCS, dyes, and the like.

What supplements are you taking to remineralize the teeth??

What is GFCFSF????

I have been wondering about this topic myself. Thanks for posting!

I was also wondering if holding them down to brush will leave them with negative feelings about oral health permanently?

[LDSmomma]

DS went through a short-lived phase of this after the dentist forced him to let her in his mouth. I just didn't press the issue for about a week, then nonchalantly gave him the toothbrush to try on his own for a week, then when he still wouldn't let me try it, I let him brush my teeth with my toothbrush while I brushed his. After a day or two, he was back to cooperating. We often do it while the TV is on, with him in my lap, so he's more still and cooperative.

[Hannahkatiebell]

Thanks everyone for your replies! The reason that dental health is so important, important enough to force him to brush his teeth, is that he was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. After five surgeries to repair the structures in his mouth and on his face, we are now starting with the teeth. He will have to have a ton of orthodontia in the future and we can make all of it easier by ensuring that his teeth are the healthiest and cleanest they can possibly be. He already has an extra hidden tooth and his teeth are too close together, too. Anyway, just changing our diet and taking supplements, which work for some children, just isn't enough for him, but thanks for that perspective.

I will be trying all of the strategies everyone suggested over the next week or so. Yesterday, what seemed to work best was a new tooth brush that lights up, combined with letting him brush mommy and daddy's teeth while we brush his. He didn't cry!

Now, if we can just get him to do this while lying down, to be able to get to all of his teeth more easily and more completely!

Thanks, mamas!

[aikigypsy]

My DD had extensive dental work at 27 months or so. We should have done it sooner, but for a variety of stupid reasons (mostly to do with not being able to get an appointment with a dentist when I first noticed problems), it waited until then.

She tantrumed, terrified, every time we tried to brush her teeth from when we first tried (sometime in her first year) until about a month or two ago, just before she turned 2 1/2. She may have just finally gotten used to it, but also around that time we got a book called "Charley and the Wobbly Tooth" from the Maisy Mouse series. I think that helped her accept tooth brushing. Also, her verbal ability has been growing by leaps and bounds, and maybe she's beginning to understand the whole, "If we don't do this, your teeth will hurt more," line.

Good luck with it, and persevere!

[lolar2]

Sometimes DS will brush a stuffed animal's teeth while his teeth are brushed.

[manleywoman]

I have no advice other than what's been offered, but just wanted to say . . . I'm glad I'm not the only one!