Anybody know where I can get these toothbrushes in the UK

[Dev9aug]

Surround toothbrushes

[moondog]

Love that Dev.
Great idea.
These special needs toothbrushes seem similar

[Dev9aug]

Thanks moondog, these will be perfect.

[moondog]

Where we are, the PCT has started a massive toothbrusing initiative in special schools as of course teeth brushing can be a real issue with kids with SN. (I've seen some truly shocking sights. )

All kids are supplied with brushes and paste and after lunch, the classes sit at their desks and brush together (staff do it too) for two minutes. Then they spit into paper but, like zzzz says, don't rinse.
Even the most unwilling kids are more inclined to brush when they see that everyone else does it.
The data on reduced dental decay in this population as a result of this is very impressive.

Beautiful behavioural programme.

[Blessyou]

Dr Barman superbrush is v similar
www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Barmans-Super-Brush-REGULAR/dp/B003OEKGDU?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21


www.dentocare.co.uk/Products/Superbrush

[wentshopping]

ooh, that looks interesting dev. I live in the US so I will order one and see if any good - happy to send to anyone in the UK if you want me to order on your behalf.

[Dev9aug]

zzzzz we leave the toothpaste on as well. I haven't got round to teaching him to spit yet. electric toothbrush is a no go at the moment.

blessyou that is absolutely perfect, exactly what I needed. I have ordered a couple now.
Thank you for the kind offer wentshopping I will see how it goes with the superbrush first and if I still need the surround brushes will get in touch.
Thanks everyone for your replies.

[CwtchesAndCuddles]

DS goes to ss and they all clean their teeth after lunch too, it's great. He also sees the special needs community dentist at school.

I like the look of some of those brushes, might give them a try for home where he isn't so keen!

[moosemama]

Ds2's OT recommended the Collis Curve one that Moondog linked to.

I'm planning to buy one for ds2, because his hypermobility makes tooth brushing a real struggle for him. Just waiting for his appointment with the SN dentist next week to see if they recommend anything different first, as because he's 8 (well 9 tomorrow actually) I was wondering if he might recommend an electric toothbrush instead.

According to the OT the Collis ones are great for people who have to brush their dc's teeth very quickly and for children who struggle to manipulate the brush in their mouth. You can get grips for the handles as well to increase ease of mobility.

[magso]

Ds got his Dr Barmans from the special care dental dept at the hospital. Worth checking if you have a hospital visit soon.

[bunnybb]

Dear all, whilst you are on the detail topic, could someone please recomemnd a SN dentist in south east London or London area please. Need to book an appointment for my 4 year ld HF son. Thanks

[starfishmummy]

We are seeing ds's dentist (The NHS SN community dentist) tomorrow so I am going to ask what he thinks!! DS is small for his age with a small mouth so we are still using toddler toothbrushes.

We have been trying to get ds to use toothpaste for years -he is 14- and have tried every flavour going including a sample of an allegedly taste free one from the dentist. At the moment, on their advice we just dip his toothbrush in kids mouthwash. Although I did attack him with some of my toothpaste the other week when he had a particularly dirty front tooth that would not clean with brush alone. There were a few dramatics, some gagging but he survived!!

[salondon]

very useful thread..

At what age did you start taking your special needs kids to a dentist. I know they say you should start at 3, but there is no way my daughter will go anywhere near the chair..

[moondog]

In Treehoiuse school (London) thwy have a wonderful dentist who volunteers.
She (?) comes in and works' in a mock up of a dentist's room.
I've known other fantastic dentists who happily clamber into the backs of cars to see kids.
A lot of SS schools will work to help kids with this-taking them to doctors and dentists casuallly to drop by and say hello to staff/sit in waiting rooms.
Could be a real life saver.
Worth asking for help with this if a tricky issue as it is for so many parents.

[hazeyjane]

Thanks for the link to those brushes. Ds has awful teeth already, partly due to reflux and partly because of the amount of antibiotics he has had. Trying to clean his teeth is like wrestling an octopus, so the quicker I can get in there the better. Strangely he was fine about the dentist looking at his teeth.

[moosemama]

Bunnybb it was the OT who recommended ours, but apparently you can be referred by any health professional, so GP or HV can refer him for you.

Ds1 has only been to the dentist once, when he was 7. Having spoken to the OT about him as well, she said the GP will refer him to the SN dentist if I request it, so we have it on the evergrowing list of things to organise for him. Apparently the SN Dentist here is great. The surgery is deliberately made to look less intimidating and they are happy to do just a visit and look around first time, then a sit in the chair the next time and gradually build it up from there going at the child's pace. They also have different tools available eg a drill type thing that doesn't make that awful whiny, screeching noise and for that reason, plus the whole sensory thing about having someone's fingers in your mouth, it's particularly appropriate for children who have ASD.

I was planning to try disclosing tablets with them to encourage better brushing, but ds1 has recently developed an obsession with brushing several times a day, as he's paranoid his teeth will start to rot if he doesn't. No amount of explanations or reassurance seems to work (he's the same with hand-washing) so I daren't show him how much actual plaque is left after he brushes or he'd spend all day in there brushing. Thing is, despite all the brushing, his teeth never seem to look clean. I think this may be down to enamel damage/mottling from his gluten issues going undxd for so many years. I'd like to get it properly checked by a dentist and discuss whether there's anything that can be done to improve the appearance of at least his front incisors.

[hazeyjane]

Moose, dd1's awful teeth are a result of reflux and I think the wheat allergy, her dentist has talked about a treatment that can be done every 6 months, that is a strengthening treatment (I think they basically paint a sort of fluoridey enamel on). It is quite pricey, but he is going to discuss it after she has 2 teeth extracted on Fri (dreading it) I'll let you know how we get on.

The disclosing tablets are great, I use then every few days with dds so that they have an idea of how well they are brushing. They also like the Smart Rinse mouthwash from Listerine, which makes the plaque go green, so you can see it when you spit it out.

[moosemama]

Thanks hazey.

I'm not 100% sure treatment would be an option for ds1, even if it's available, because he has a lot of oral sensory issues, so anything that changed the feel of his teeth might be impossible, but I would definitely be interested in hearing more about it.

[chuckeyegg]

Fledglings do them, £6 each. They are on page 8 of their brochure.

HTH

www.fledglings.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78&Itemid=261

[vjg13]

We were offered the fluoride varnish, they just paint it on with a brush. It does have a slight yellowish tint apparently. My daughter has a non flavoured fluoride tablet which achieves the same result.

We have a new hurdle next week of the special needs hygenist!

[moosemama]

We live in an area that has fluoridated water, not something I'm keen on, but seems to have helped my dcs teeth as they all seem ok when I check them and no toothaches - yet.

As I understand it, the damage to his adult teeth would have been done by his immune system as they were developing. Don't know if it makes them weaker or it's just cosmetic. I may have a Google and find out now I'm thinking about it.

[moosemama]

Ds's teeth look somewhere between this and <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?sa=X&hl=en&biw=1381&bih=586&tbm=isch&tbnid=SRo7qK5F-AUl8M:&imgrefurl=www.biomedsearch.com/nih/Lack-association-between-celiac-disease/17537244.html&docid=BhPjld0gVONtRM&imgurl=www.biomedsearch.com/attachments/00/17/53/72/17537244/1746-160X-3-25-1.jpg&w=600&h=390&ei=6ehuUc7tKqOb0AXM2YHoBw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:32,s:0,i:190&iact=rc&dur=925&page=2&tbnh=181&tbnw=279&start=19&ndsp=19&tx=182&ty=97" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">this.

Oddly though, just this morning I noticed my own teeth look remarkably like some of the pictures. In fact I noticed the white patches standing out, because they were so bright compared to the rest of the enamel that they almost seemed to glow in the dark!

It seems like it's caused by hypercalcification. Not read a lot, but it seems that, unless it's severe, it doesn't actually weaken the tooth.

[Ellenora5]

My ds has been using the Dr. Barmans for a year now, teeth brushing was one of the battles I was losing big time and unfortunately his teeth and gums really suffered. He had a lot of teeth removed and still only has front teeth as the new teeth haven't arrived yet. The dentist said to used the Barmans for all his teeth and then use an ordinary brush for the front teeth and gums. The hygenist showed me how to brush properly and told me to use tesco strawberry icecream flavour toothpaste, not to spit if he doesn't want to and not to rinse. I also had to use corsodyl gel on his gums for a couple of weeks. Both the dentist and the hygenist spoke to him about how important it was and for some reason he listened to them thankfully and the battle is not half as hard now. At our last visit they were both delighted with his teeth and gums and we are back on track now. I do them in the morning and he does them in the evening. Now if only we could get through a shower without any issues life would be a doddle (sort of)

[chuckeyegg]

We use the strawberry ice cream toothpaste here too. I'm really interested that you find the brush successful we will have to give a go here.