Help with 2 year old and toothbrushing!

[nugget's mommy]

Hi - I'm a fairly new member and don't get to post much. I read sometimes at work, but can't post/login there (or do searches) and barely have enough time at home to do anything with this wonderful community. I am trying to eek in a post now as my son watches Zoboomafoo on demand (ack!) while dad is out. So my question is - how in the heck do you convince a 2 year old to let mommy or daddy brush his teeth or even brush them himself?! We started before he was a year old and always made it into a game and were always gentle and never forced him, so I don't think he is scared. I think I have only successfully brushed his teeth twice in his life (again very gently and he laughed the whole time). Otherwise we have let him do it himself for the last year and a half because he won't let either of us do it (those 2 times were a fluke and he is very "spirited" about not wanting to brush his teeth). He usually sucks on the brush and mimics us somewhat, but even convincing him to do that is dwindling. I also am not too stressed about it (both dh and I have good teeth/no cavities) so I don't think he is sensing stress from us or anything like that. He brushes his teeth maybe once a week at this point (We try at least twice a day). I am just worried that he will eventually get cavities with this extreme lack of brushing. Here is what we have tried so far:

1) We always make it into a game even though it is getting old quickly

2) We have tried having him brush our teeth first and then saying "OK, now it's time for us to brush yours".

3) We've tried having him brush in different spots (bathtub, kitchen, etc.)

4) We always brush our teeth with him and exaggeratingly (is that a word?) show him how it is done.

5) We've tried new/novel brushes/pastes.

6) We rotate all of the above tactics so they won't get old, but they seem to be getting old anyway.

So, anything I haven't thought of? Should I even worry? Is this one of those things he will outgrow as long as we continue to model what we want him to do? We just hate the thought of him having to get a cavity filled at a young age but also don't want to force him. Help! :

[WuWei]

Well, ds doesn't consume a lot of sugar and he does brush, and still had a ton of cavities. And I had a ton of cavities as a child. I have a mouth full of mercury fillings. Dh had his very first cavity, an itsy-bitsy one, at age 40. I believe that there are very many variables which cause cavities. The worst culprit that I have learned is providing chewable Vitamin C tablets which are severely acidic and destructive to tooth enamel. Ds loved them! We also used sippy cups beyond a very early age for spill-proof benefits. (still do) Apparently, this contributes to maintaining an acid oral flora. When one drinks juice or milk in a single sitting, the natural flora rinses the teeth to a more proper pH within 20 minutes. Sipping or eating repeatedly causes the ph imbalance to remain.

We didn't brush at bedtime consistently. Rather we brushed throughout the day. Apparently bedtime brushing is more efficient due to the decreased saliva production at night. My own lack of nightime brushing apparently increased the bacterial counts (strep mutans the specific bacteria that causes cavities in the presence of acidity); but *I* haven't any additional cavities. We didn't use Xylitol products. We do now. And specifically the mother's use of xylitol products prenatally decreases cavity production in the child's teeth up to one year subsequently. Essential fatty acids and vitamin A in the prenatal and postnatal diet (breastfeeding) are huge variables. I had these.

Reading on the VeryYoungKidsTeeth site will convince anyone that sugar and brushing are NOT the issues to cavity development.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group...oungkidsteeth/ There are many very restrictive parents there who severely limit simple sugar foods and brush their children's teeth religiously twice a day (many forcefully). And their VERY young children still have developed extensive dental caries. A mother sharing utensils and foods with the child increases the oral bacteria count passed to the child. We didn't do this either. So, the main issue that I can discern is the chewable Vitamin C destroying the tooth enamel and led to decay for our son.

Here is a link about nutrition and cavity prevention.
http://yourreturn.blogspot.com/2005/...rstanding.html


The Invisible Toothbrush
By Emmanuel Cheraskin, MD, DMD

One of the many risk factors for heart disease is poor dental health. The root cause for both diseases is probably the same—nutritional deficiencies, including deficiency of vitamin C. In this article, Dr. Emmanuel Cheraskin presents evidence that serum vitamin C levels are just as important as brushing for the prevention of tooth decay. His research also explains why primitive peoples on nutrient-dense diets have no tooth decay, in spite of the fact that they do not brush their teeth.

http://www.westonaprice.org/healthis...oothbrush.html


Decay preventing gum:
http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/trident_research.htm

How is Bacteria Transmitted To the Baby or Child?
http://www.woodstockfirstnation.com/COHI.htm



HTH, Pat

[JaneS]

Yelling... and I mean YELLING "Ahhhhh!" at the top of our lungs worked for us when other things you mentioned were failing. DS was so tickled pink that he was allowed to yell and I was yelling too. We would do other types of "Ahhhhh's" in voices too like "Baby Ahhh". "Papa Ahhh". "Bear Ahhh" etc.

Now he is awesome about brushing his teeth and we've had several dentist visits he sits wonderfully in chair. (We did "Happy Dentist Day" for that... practically as exciting as his bday basically, I made a huge deal out of it with little presents and special treats.)

[newbymom05]

We're able to brush 19 mo old ds's teeth but it's a two person job for sure. He loves to stand on the counter, so once DH is holding him he'll start wanting to stand on the counter. Then I'll say, "Do you want to stand on the counter? OK, but we have to brush teeth first." Usually, I get to say this several, if not many times before he agrees. If he decides he's done after 30 seconds I'll get my toothbrush and have him brush my teeth while I brush his. DH and I also sing the Raffi "Brush Your Teeth" song but I think that's more for us than him.

It's difficult for us because DH is freaking out about DS's teeth (w/ reason, unfortunately) and would brush them 12X a day whether DS was in agreement or not, but I'm afraid of making it into some kind of power struggle, kwim? So it's once a day and on the counter and a huge glob of Xylitol toothpaste on his brush for him to finish w/ (he loves the stuff). I would also offer a toy or something that he could only play w/ after teeth brushing but so far the sink and counter are enough of a reward.

I find it really helps if I calmly reason w/ him, i.e. you want to do X but first we must do Y and then let him choose to do it.

[Cassandra M.]

We talk about how we have to get the bugs off their teeth so they don't make holes in them. Then I act like I see a unicorn, horse, train, car, elephant, etc on there I have to brush off and just go on and on. When they get impatient, I say "ut oh hold on I see a BIIIIIIIG T-Rex I gotta get!" And it seems to get some co-operation. I don't have to go here so much anymore since they are bigger, but when they were two I had to play the game in full.

[BetsyPage]

Oh, sigh... I am struggling with this issue right now. I had a 2 yo who didn't want to let me brush her teeth, she really didn't want to let me do ANYTHING for her, starting before 2 yo. I strongly felt that brushing before bed would be the best thing to do, but honestly we ended up brushing in the morning or during the day when her mood was better just for my sanity.

However, we found out today that she has multiple cavities in her top front teeth, and one cavity in a molar on her right side. I am devasted, honestly. I know it's really my fault because I didn't choose my battle and fight it. My dd has a big sweet tooth, and my dh way too frequently buys her candy, and she is forever asking for it during the day. The dentist said that the issue is really the *frequency* of the sugar... it is OK to have sugar and then be done with it, but having bits of sugary things often (like taking a whole afternoon to eat a lollipop, putting it down and picking it up) is really the problem. I think that that, coupled with my choice not to brush at night but in the morning and the fact that she still nurses to sleep, was just a "recipe" for disaster.

Now, I'm someone who is interested in WAP and I think nutrition plays a huge role, etc. But I know that Price's primitive children wouldn't have been sucking on lollipop's as frequently as mine has been (but no longer, I'm putting my foot down!), so to me, it is clear that is the sugar being allowed to sit overnight that was the problem. So I am now really wishing that I had picked the sugar/teeth brushing/flossing battle and stuck with it... honestly, I myself have never had a cavity in my entire life, I think I was hoping good genetics would help. But obviously not.

I will check out the VeryYoungKids stuff, but at this point, it seems very clear to me that the reason my dd has cavaties IS sugar and not brushing well enough/at the right time. Now, this may not be the case for all children, obviously, but it sure seems to be for my child.

[nugget's mommy]

Thanks!

Thank you all for your wonderful replies! I finally got a chance to log on right now - a week later . Every reply has such good ideas that I am looking forward to trying and it makes me feel better that I'm not the only one. Thanks for all the websites - Pat. I had no idea there was so much one could do for their teeth. I should've known better after all the research I have done for childbirth/rearing and all the options out there, that taking care of your teeth wouldn't just be so cut and dried - once again, assuming is very bad and I just assumed that you brush your teeth, floss, and see a dentist - end of story. One of these days I will learn not to assume!