9 year old..teeth brushing

[mama23814]

Hello, I have a 9 year old son with aspergers, anxiety, adhd and sensory issues.

He is SO sensitive..cries at the drop of a hat and gets very very upset when you ask him to do something he finds "unpleasant".

I'm having a heck of a time with teeth brushing with him. He does a very poor job despite my coaching and he will not let me brush his teeth. And he's a BIG kid..as tall as a 12 year old despite being only 9.

I'm not very creative when it comes to rewards charts and such and I've finally broken down and come here to ask for some advice. There has got to be an easier way to deal with this. The child NEEDS obviously to be able to have proper hygeine habits..and teeth brushing has become absolutely exhausting.

Does anyone struggle with their kids on this issue and if so, do you have any helpful tips on how to make sure their teeth get brushed...well??  Thanks!!

Julie

[FarmerBeth]

We had (still have) a lot of tooth brushing trouble.  Have had some luck with getting the dentist to give the big talk (and the dentist herself was a struggle, too, none of my three kids are good with new people around their bodies) and with having a special toothbrush, own toothpaste, etc, and with having very regular timing for the brushing routine.  Sometimes allow treats based on agreement tooth brushing has to happen afterwards.  If you can't get near his mouth, he could use disclosing tablets before brushing to give him a visual cue of the spots missed.  Good luck!  This is a tricky one!