Start Brushing - And Make it Fun! - Page 2

[Millie Ivy]

Thank you so much!!! I wandered in the middle of this discussion but was wondering the same thing. dd is 7 months old and has two tiny teeth and I was thinking that I should do SOMETHING to accustom her to brushing.
So thanks!!!

[Smilemomma]

[Dot.mom]

Dental Care for 15 month old

Hi

What is currently recommended for daily dental care for a 15 month old? And how do you do it? To date, we have only wiped her teeth off with a clean wet wash cloth after each meal. Should we be brushing yet? What type of toothbrush is best and should we use a flouridated toothpaste? What about flossing?

She still nurses (always nurses to sleep and then takes a pacifier), but doesn't appear to pool milk.

She has her eight front teeth in but no molars.

Thanks so much.

[Kiddoson]

We brush at least once a day, I use non floride toothpaste since she can't spit it out. I bought a small toothbrush & brush hers when I do. She has never given me a problem & seems to want to do it, HTH

[Smilemomma]

[Xander's Mama]

Electric toothbrush??

I asked my dentist about the Sonicare for my 16 mos. ds as it seems to make brushing more enjoyable- she recommended against it as the teeth roots are so young and pliable that the vibration might not be good for them. In some ways, I understand, but wouldn't the vibrations actually cause them to become stronger in response??
Looking for a second opinion.....

[Smilemomma]

[LdyBluNH@aol]

3yr old routine?

what sort of brushing schedule should i be aiming for with my daughter?

she's three and very much into 'i do it'

i'm concerned that she isnt always getting her teeth as clean as they should be

but then i'm faced with i dont want to sit on her and force it in her mouth because i'm concerned she'll rebel and not brush at all (i didnt come around to brushing until late in life and i'm going to pay the cost big time for it)

we've never flossed and i'm getting the idae that we should be?

she's had a canker sore on her gum and seems to get sore spots on her cheeks -- i seem to recall reading this can be due to too much juice/sugar?

[Corriander]

What I do with my kids is after they have the brush for a while (usually just chewing on it) - then I follow up and brush their teeth while they brush mine. We look pretty silly sitting across from each other, mouths open, brushing the other person's teeth. I think that they like the power of getting to do something in mommy's mouth and it destracts them from what I'm doing in their mouth.

In terms of routine, we always brush at night after they are finished with any eating and drinking. We try to brush in the morning, but not as much luck keeping the routine there.

[I Love My Boy]

Can anyone direct me to a previous post for this question?

Hi all. I haven't got time to sift through the archives, but I'm sure my concerns have been discussed all over the place. I thought maybe someone could repeat what has already been said here by Smilemomma or somebody else, or direct me to a previous thread about my questions.

I'm reading a lot here about tooth decay and BF, but I don't know anything about it myself. My DS is teething now but so far no teeth have popped up. When does the tooth become vulnerable to decay? Is it only after it has surfaced? Do teeth ever break the surface but not come up for a while? If so, how do you keep them clean then? And, what do I do to make sure his teeth stay clean when the do come in? I read somebody's post about wiping teeth down with gauze..... would I do that as soon as the tooth starts to show? And how often?

Thanks, and sorry to be so behind the news here.

[Britishmum]

Smilemomma -

Dd is seventeen months and after hating it for ages, now loves having her teeth brushed. She has a very full mouth of teeth! We brush twice a day.

However, I"m not sure if I'm doing a good enough job. She chews hard on the brush so we just get it in there and wriggle it around a bit on each side with her trying to chew it as hard as she can. She loves me keeping putting more water on the brush so she can suck it off. How efficiently should I be aiming to brush? I don't want to put her off by making it a long event, so we make it short and fun. Is this OK?

[I Love My Boy]

Wow! Smilemomma! Thank you so much for your answer, and so fast!!!! Where in the world do you find the time????

This is incredibly helpful to me.

[AMum]

We've used different techniques at different ages. At first ds had a brush & I had a brush. I used the triangular ones w/ the brush at one corner, so he wouldn't gag. When he started refusing that we let him brush our teeth then brushed his. (workes for face washing & hair combing too). Now he brushes his own teeth and then we check them. We also talk about the sugar bugs and chase them around his mouth.

[Mamaste]

Try different types of brushes, not only initially but also from time to time. Also try letting your child pick out his or her own toothbrush at the store. You could also try having more than one acceptable type of toothpaste to choose from.

[PumpkinSeeds]

My baby had 8 teeth at 6 mos. He's definitely in that "monkey see, monkey do" stage so we are taking advantage of that.

Papa brushes his own teeth with much delight while sitting in front of baby. Baby of course MUST have some of the same and opens wide while I quickly brush his teeth. THen Papa sits again in front of baby and flosses. Of course baby wants the same and opens wide for Mama to floss his teeth.

It's too cute! I'm hoping he gets "used" to having my hands in his mouth...

sigh...

[Britishmum]

Brushing toddler's teeth

Dd (aged seventeen months) now loves having her teeth brushed. However, I'm not sure if we're doing a good enough job.

She lets me put the brush in, then chews down hard on it. I manage to wiggle it around as she chomps down, and we do get around most of the teeth. We do this morning and night. However, it's somewhat hit or miss how well the teeth actually get brushed!

I don't want to make it into a big deal and put her off, as she used to hate it, but then again, I wonder if we're doing it well enough. She does nurse frequently, but eats a ton of fruit - apple at least once a day - and drinks water. I've also tried to cut down on the late night nursing, by feeding her a yoghurt after a short nurse before teeth cleaning and bed, so that she doesn't wake to nurse so frequently in the evenings, but she does nurse a few times at night.

Any advice would be welcomed - thank you!

[Alexander]

Tastey tooth paste!

Let them do you first!

a

[MamaRenee]

yellow buildup on teeth?

Hello, I'm new here and hope someone can help. I did try searching for this in the recent posts and archives but didn't turn anything specific up. I don't want to waste your time but I'm very concerned about this.

My 19 mo. ebf, night-nursing dd has a yellow film on her front teeth. It does come off with brushing but it seems to be building up. I'm having a hard time getting it all off.

She saw a ped. dentist at 13 mo. and all was fine then. We haven't been back as I got hassled for night-nursing and just don't feel like fighting that battle. But, if this is a problem, I'll definitely take her in.

We brush every night at bedtime and try to brush in the morning and before nap as well. But it's always a struggle. She literally has to be held down, usually by both dh and myself.

Are we not doing a good enough job?

TIA!

Renee, Proud AP SAHM to Fionna Rylee, 7/22/00

[Greenfrogs]

My near 2 year old will not brush his teeth...

My 23 month old refuses to let me brush his teeth. He will also not do it himself. He love playing with the toothpaste tube and the toothbrush and will sometimes chew on the toothbrush. I have had several brush with sucess (pun fully intend), but they do not last long. He has very healthy looking teeth, so I am not to worried, but would like to get him brushing.

Any ideas.

[KimberMama]

My son has verbal and oral apraxia as well as sensory issues and he was the same way. Honestly, I gave it up until he was ready. One thing I learned from the dentist is that is very important to feed a healthy diet rich in veggies and whole grains and low in sugar. At 23MO the dentist said his teeth were great and I told him that I couldn't brush them and he said it must be the diet.

If it is a sensory issue you can desensitize him by using a variety of things, such as an Oral B-type gum massager or frozen foods in a baby-safe feeder. If it is a control/independence issue then I would just model good brushing to him.

We finally having brushing occurring daily. I bought new toothpaste (some yucky Oral B stuff instead of our natural toothpaste, but it has Pooh on it) because I knew he could take the sensory input but he was still refusing. I also instituted a star chart. We say "aaahhh" and "eeeeee" to get proper position for the toothbrush, and I sing a little song to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

Brush, brush, brush you teeth
Brush them everyday
Brush them 'til they're pearly white
Brush the plaque away

He's 3 now. I worry that he may have dental problems because we didn't brush, but there was no way I was going to hold down my child and forcibly brush his teeth. To me that would damage our relationship.