Dental: techniques for wiping teeth

[wildflower1990]

I need to be able to effectively, quickly wipe out my son's mouth after he breastfeeds at night. He is a heavy night-nurser (we cosleep), and I can wipe out the outside of his teeth but need lots of advice for getting his jaw open so as to reach the backs of his teeth. This is extremely important that I learn to do this as he is very suseptable to decay. I do not want to night wean, but I will if I cannot get this technique down. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Wildflower1990

[stafl]

I'm not sure where I read it, but I bet the info is here at mdc or www.kellymom.com somewhere... anyway, I'm sure I read somewhere that breastmilk by itself doesn't promote tooth decay, that it is when the child eats sweets and then nurses, without brushing their teeth before going to bed that causes the problem (or when given formula, which is loaded with either refined sugar or corn syrup).

[malamamama]

Actually breastmilk on top of any food residue makes one prone to decay. (not just sweets).
I have done what a mama here advised. After dd fell asleep nursing, I would squirt a tea tree oil/water solution in her mouth. This kills bacteria, acts as a rinse, and causes her to swallow any bm that might be left in her mouth. The ratio was 3-5 drops in 8 oz of water which is VERY diluted. There are cautions of ingesting tea tree oil. This is within the safe means though. And a squirt of this dilution is really minimal too.
Might be easier than wiping. The crucial factor is to thoroughly clean the teeth before laying down at night. If this is done, (as well as an adequate brushing routine during the day) it may not even be necessary to wipe in the middle of the night.

[wildflower1990]

clearer explanation

My husband works here at Arkansas Childrens Hospital; therefore, we have access to their dentists. Normally Childrens only takes special cases. I feel confident that their dentists know a lot about what they are doing. My experience with them so far is kindness, patience, limited "invasion" of my child's mouth, and validation for breastfeeding. My son's dentist recommended that we wipe out his teeth after night feedings, but not to stop night feedings. Since my son is two, I felt really good about this advice; however, I do see where the problem lies...from reading on MDC I see that the bacteria that I and my husband have in our mouths has colonized my son's mouth (which is inevitable) and regardless of where the sugar comes from, the bacteria feed off of it. So, I need an effective technique to wipe all of his teeth down; otherwise, I will night wean. I fear more for his teeth at this point than night weaning. I do not want my son to undergo sedation again for more dental work. I hope that someone can lead me to some great techniques...I will try the tea tree oil preparation as well.