[StillForest]

Hi All,

Soon to be 2-year-old DD won't let me brush her teeth. Whenever I try to gently force the issue she clamps her mouth shut and makes it clear that she won't endure this without a major struggle---flailing arms, head thrashing, kicking etc....
I've tried everything that I can think of---songs, electric toothbrush, cute brushes, yummy non-fluoride toothpaste, book about toothbrushing etc...

She does, in her way, really like all of my efforts. She quite regularly asks to floss and brush her own teeth---mostly so that she can suck the toothpaste off the brush

:

So I'm now considering a new strategy that this GD advocate really hadn't hitherto entertained: bribery!

Dr. Sears has this anecdote in his Discipline Book about using book reading at bedtime as a bribe to induce his children to brush their teeth. I'm thinking about trying a similar strategy with either books, stickers or perhaps (CRINGE) TV time (she watches very very little PBS but really adores it and would like to watch more

: ).

What do you think? I can't believe that I'm even considering this (very against rewards/punishments etc...).
But I'm increasingly worried about her teeth and really don't like the idea of overpowering her at all

. She's extremely sensitive about objects being stuck in her mouth/nose (ie toothbrush, nasal suction bulb etc...). She was suctioned as a newborn and has always been very averse to anything that reminds her of this.

Please don't flame me on this....Just another very desperate Mama trying to figure out how to brush a 2-year-old's teeth.

Thanks in advance!

StillForest

 

[Aster]

I think bribery is probably a pretty strong word. If your dd agrees to have teeth brushed while watching pbs, then, hey, why not? It works for you, it works for her, and it works for her teeth. I think what you're considering is more of a compromise than a "bribe".

Boo loves sucking the paste off of his toothbrush too.

And he loves the taste of mint flavoured floss. He agrees to have his teeth brushed while dh reads him a story. I wouldnt call reading a story to him a bribe though, it's a solution that works.

 

[QueenSheba'sMom]

Here's what works for us:

#1. choice of three toothbrushes that she has personally selected

#2. choice of three toothpastes in different flavors

#3. we brush our teeth at the same time, and make funny noises by brushing in different ways, and then she tries to imitate the noises and thus the actions

#4. once a day I poke the toothbrush around in all directions till I get her giggling and make it into her mouth for a brief moment, during which I strategically hit key mouth areas and make noises to keep her giggling

Dunno if any a that would work for anyone else, but pbs is a lifesaver when it comes to waking up, getting dressed, and hairdoing, even if I do sing clifford for the rest of the day whenever we go that route.

 

[justmama]

Maybe having her do it herself would help? Toddlers are always making things into personal wars unless they get to do things themselves. This worked with Madyson. We brush our teeth together each mornign before leaving for the day and each evening before bed. We stand in front of the mirror each holding our own special toothbrush with a small amount of our own special toothpaste and she mimics my actions as I brush. I'm sure she doesn't get EVERYTHING or do a job that's even close to perfect but we make do. I figure that as long as she's gettign the brush in there without a fight and we watch the sugar intake we will be okay. Best of luck.
Meg

 

[slightly crunchy]

I hear ya!

Well, I don't know if I would call it bribery, but after trying everything everyone hear has listed (and so, so much more; aaaah!

), I have tried the toothbrushing with the Sesame Street video on, and giving stickers before, during, and afterward...

Problem is, everything works for a few days, and then ds protests again. He does like to do it himself, but he really doesn't do a good enough job on his own, yet, so I have to get in there somehow.

One game that works for us lately is playing "go....stop". I will get him to open his mouth and say "go" then brush away, until he starts to protest/get antsy. I then say "stop" and turn off the electric toothbrush. Then I wait for him to say "go", and we start again, back and forth, until we get it all done. Anything that gives him some sense of control helps. I figure eventually he'll learn that toothbrushing is non-negotiable.

One more thought--check out the Dental board. There is a long thread in the archives all about toothbrushing.

Good luck!

 

[sleepies]

anything to get the teeth clean.

try EVERYTHING

if nothing else works, id say to force it.

because easier to hold them down and brush than to hold them down for fillings.

good luck

 

[Greaseball]

I don't know if anyone wants to wade thru the "beyond attachment parenting" thread for my posts (and other moms') about toothbrushing, but I see nothing wrong with bribes! Force is wrong, and can injure a child, although people will tell you it's not true. I've seen it happen. I'd much rather a child be "forced" in a dentist chair because at least there, they will be given drugs. I wouldn't let a dentist treat my child without drugs, unless she asked for no drugs.

 

[owen&mama]

I encourage you to brush her teeth - yourself - however you can manage it. I agree, too, that bribery is a strong word, especially if it works. She won't be able to brush her teeth effectively for another year or so, so it's important that you get in there for at least part of it.

My son went under general anesthesia to cap two of his teeth at 18-months to correct malformed enamel. I'm not sure that more diligent brushing on my part would have prevented the procedure, but it certainly would have helped. The dental visit and subsequent procedure were traumatic for both of us (especially me

: ), so we're extra diligent with our teeth now.

The Dental Board/Archives were very helpful to me and have some great suggestions on a host of topics, including toothbrushing. You might find some good suggestions there. I've been pretty lucky that my DS hasn't been too hard to convince on most occassions, but it can be hard.

Good luck!

 

[StillForest]

Thank you all so much for the feedback, ideas, and reassurance! I'm going to keep trying different things (I have a whole folder of ideas from the MDC Dental board and various threads....).

My first few compromises/bribes didn't work especially well---but she later brought her toothbrush back over to me and I managed to give her the best brushing I've been able to do in about a month. I'm going out to get some
stickers later today. This is just so difficult! She's just very much a do-it-herself gal these days! She turns two tomorrow

 

[HotMama]

We have our regular routine at bedtime that includes brushing, first with a finger when she was two months, moving on to the washcloth when teeth first appearred and now with a brush. Lately we brush her dolls teeth and then dd's, back and forth til I get all dd's teeth. She smiles through the whole process...she had been gearing up to fight until we figured out doing the doll's teeth at the same time. We use an electric toothbrush and it's pretty quick. We also have two toothbrushing songs we always sing.

 

[stirringleaf]

are given drugs"

i would NOT rather this happened at all! i would rather lovingly pin my son down with the help of my husband and "force" with tickles, silly faces, giggles and hugs, than have ds be subjected to anesthesia, drugs, needles, drills, etc!!!!!! not to mention tooth pain from decay in the first place!

i am obvoisly in the "whatever necessary" camp..... with the rationalle that you dont let your child sit in a poopy diaper for days or whatever just cuz they dont want you to change them, right?

there are just some things we have to do. i dont think "forcing" should be violent , angry , or hurtful, of course. but i do think holding them down if you have to is just fine. sometimes i have to drape a leg over him to do a diaper change, and i see nothing wrong with that either.

we have tried EVERYTHING , letting him brush, sticker "bribes" ( which helps ease the post-brushing crying) , he has 5 toothbrushes ( one electric) , 3 kinds of toothpaste, etc etc. i had one awesome sucess tonight i want to share cuz even though we always have to hold him down ( sometimes he giggles the whole time, sometimes he cries---we ALWAYS talk to him lovingly and try to get him to relax and smile) .

he climbed up on the nightstand, which i normally dont let him do, so i seized the opportunity: i said , its time to brush your teeth, do you want me to do it down here, or do you want to do it up there?" after a couple times repaeting what i meant, he got excited and LET me brush his teeth while he sat up on his "forbidden" perch! so i think its like everything else : kids change , and they grow, and it wont always be so hard to brush thier teeth, thank goodness, therefore worth it to keep trying new approaches all the time.

so now i am going to ONLY let him sit on the nightstand to brush teeth and see if that works. he has already been to the dentist and they said to wean him and i dont want to . he has 2 yellowish teeth, diagnosed with early decay ( reversable if diligant about brushing) i cant mess around with waitng for him to cooperate, but if he does, i am very excited and relieved.

i just had to add that before we took him to the dentist, we never forced him to brush, and would barely get the toothbrush in his mouth usually, but thought that it was OK if we didnt do a good job all the time. look for my posts on the dental board to see the history of this...i was very upset when i first noticed his decay. it IS important to brush every day! you never know if your kid might have a tendancy toward caries.