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Original poster

How important is teeth brushing?

126 replies

howsoonisnow85 · 23/01/2021 07:52

My DD is 11 months & has 8 teeth, it is absolutely impossible to brush her teeth, she just will not let me. The routine I have come to with her is that whilst I am brushing mine I have her in the bathroom & give her a baby toothbrush which she sucks/ chews on.
Do I need to force this more with her as it will cause her issues later on, or should I pick my battles & this isn't one until shes older?
Thanks!

OP posts:
turnthebiglightoff · 23/01/2021 09:09

The Hey Duggee toothbrush song. 100%. It's no fun I know OP but at 21 months my little one loves teeth time now!

BoyTree · 23/01/2021 09:11

Does anyone know how long we are supposed to brush baby/toddlers teeth for?

Our dentist said 'when you'd be happy for them to brush your teeth' which has extended the cut-off point significantly for mine!

Poppop4 · 23/01/2021 09:13

My dd is 2 and toothbrushing can often be a battle. Sometimes she will happily have them brushed other times absolutely not.
I had a chat with our dentist about it and our health visitor Too who helped said that it’s more about the fluoride getting onto their teeth than actual brushing.
The dentist advised that sucking toothpaste off the toothbrush is ok and to encourage brushing as much as possible.
He also told me that if absolutely necessary take a finger of toothpaste and rub it into their teeth to give a costing of fluoride and try again to brush whenever you can

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BoyTree · 23/01/2021 09:14

All this talk of pinning children down is absurd.

Did you really never have to pin yours down to get a nappy on them, get them dressed or cut their nails? Mine were wriggly and constantly on the go, so I had to pin them down for almost any self care!

BoyTree · 23/01/2021 09:15

(my dentist also brushed his own kids' teeth while they were asleep!)

MumUndone · 23/01/2021 09:15

My 2 year screams, every single time. Still do it, don't want his teeth to rot.

BertieBotts · 23/01/2021 09:16

And the more important thing I was told at this age is diet.

No sweetened drinks - no juice. Water or milk.

No chocolate/sweets etc - maybe occasionally but def not every day.

Don't add sugar to their food (porridge etc)

Choose plain yoghurt (etc) rather than fruit flavoured ones.

BertieBotts · 23/01/2021 09:17

:o well I don't brush my 12yo's teeth but he's appalling at brushing - the dentist comments on it every time.

HotDogHotDiggityDog · 23/01/2021 09:17

The Hey Duggee toothbrush song works here too or the Tombliboos one from the In The Night Garden. Also doing it in the bath seems to help. We have started clapping her with lots of enthusiastic 'clever girl!' whenever she does let us brush them well which has made a difference too.

shouldistop · 23/01/2021 09:17

Did you really never have to pin yours down to get a nappy on them, get them dressed or cut their nails? Mine were wriggly and constantly on the go, so I had to pin them down for almost any self care!

Exactly, suncream too! Until they're old enough to cooperate, sometimes they need to be made to unfortunately.
DS1 is 4.5 now and for those concerned he has no lasting damage from being pinned in a towel to have his teeth brushed Grin

CuteOrangeElephant · 23/01/2021 09:18

I always sing the same song to DD when brushing her teeth. This is so that she knows when it's finished.

TwelvePaws · 23/01/2021 09:19

I just did as best as I could at that age, I didn’t pin them down. I’d get a few 5 second brushes in and then leave them to chew on the brush whilst encouraging them to copy me with a stupid song. I found it gets much easier by 18 months. Kids are 17, 11 and 9 now and none of them have ever had a filling or extraction.

Lifeinaonesie · 23/01/2021 09:20

Yep I pin mine down and use an electric toothbrush. I manage about 1 Min worth of brushing but I figure that's probably better than a longer time with a manual brush

LazyName · 23/01/2021 09:20

@howsoonisnow85

Thankyou for the replies & advice, she also hates having nappy changed & getting dressed so already feel like Im pinning her down alot! I will definitely try the wrapping in towel technique, I think that could work, and will look into finger brushes. Im not a bad mum, just a first time one trying to work it all out!
😂 mine hates getting dressed too! The drama! I have no idea what to do half the time but we are obviously doing ok so far Grin x
GameSetMatch · 23/01/2021 09:21

By a brush baby chewer, you put toothpaste on it and the baby chews the soft bristles to help brush teeth. Combine that with trying your best to brush teeth and the brush baby finger wipes you’ll be fine. Maybe a vibrating toothbrush may feel better.

Both my children screamed when having their teeth brushed but I got on with it because I didn’t want them to have horrible teeth at school and get picked on. Who wants to see children with no teeth due to having them all pulled out, it’s enough to make anybody brush their kids teeth.

IMissFrance · 23/01/2021 09:24

This was the ones we used.

Worked well and I'd do a little scrub with a proper brush too just to be sure.

How important is teeth brushing?
gamerchick · 23/01/2021 09:24

Pinning them really doesn't traumatise them in the long run. Hmm honestly some people.

Just another example of lazy indulgent parenting. Can't be arsed.

MessAllOver · 23/01/2021 09:27

Brushing is important but so are other things:

  • No juice/fizzy drinks. Milk and water only to drink, and milk only at set times during the day (my DS gets it for breakfast and with his afternoon snack, if he wants it).
  • Healthy diet including lots of fruit, vegetables and calcium. However, fruit only at mealtimes or set snack times - it's full of sugar so you don't want them munching it constantly throughout the day. Cheesem carrot sticks and nuts are better snacks for healthy teeth.
  • Be extra-careful if there's a history of dental issues/decay in your family. This is where dental visits are extra-important for baby. Sharing food and other contact can transfer decay-causing bacteria from adults' mouths to baby. So you need to take extra care with brushing/dental visits/ensuring fluoride application if this is the case. If your child's teeth are vulnerable, consider getting sealants or flouride applied.
  • Be careful with "sticky" foods that adhere to their teeth, even if healthy. Obviously no toffees/sticky sweets. If you give sweets, plain chocolate is best. The big one here is peanut butter. DS loves peanut butter and I don't mind it as an occasional snack because it's a good source of protein but it isn't great for teeth because it's so sticky. I give carrot sticks with it which are good for cleaning teeth. I also encourage him to sip water after snacks.
TwelvePaws · 23/01/2021 09:27

Just another example of lazy indulgent parenting. Can't be arsed.

Yeah, that’s me. 🙄

Halloweenrainbow · 23/01/2021 09:28

Tricky! It's such a battle with my 4 year old we clean her teeth once a day rather than twice. I figure it's better than nothing and it minimises the stress of it for all. I don't want it to become too much of a conflict. No sweet treats or fruit juice until we do better and she understands this.

DaenarysStormborn · 23/01/2021 09:31

I once knew a child who had ten teeth extracted at the age of five because his milk teeth had rotted. Brush them!

Backbee · 23/01/2021 09:31

I used to use a finger brush as it would make DS laugh and he would tolerate it, and at the same time he would be in the bathroom to see me brushed mine and he would have his. Eventually he got to grips with using his to actually brush his teeth or let me brush them, but I would just try different things and see what works! There is also a hey duggee song about toothbrushing if you get really desperate...

Lifeinaonesie · 23/01/2021 09:31

There is a Disney app where you collect stickers (and can find cheats online so you don't have to pay for them!) Which worked when my DD was 3-4 but obviously with a baby pinning is the only way it's going to get done.

Rangoon · 23/01/2021 09:34

People who won't hold down a non-cooperative child are probably going to really struggle when a dentist is injecting their child's gums to put a filling into a tooth or two. The thing is that the child soon learns that their teeth are going to be brushed one way or another and they learn to co-operate. It is worth trying a non-minty toothpaste - one of mine just couldn't stand the taste of minty toothpaste. When they were smaller, I used a silicone brush on my finger. (My dentist told me she had one just like that for cleaning her cat's teeth!) My children are now grown and don't seem to have any tooth cleaning trauma. I am thankful though that it is a dental hygienist who growls at them now. My youngest who is a teenager was electric toothbrushing, flossing and water picking like a maniac after one appointment where he got a thorough telling off about his gums. Apparently his gums are now in perfect condition.

MyNameForToday1980 · 23/01/2021 09:35

PPs are correct that sugar in diet is a key factor. DD's dentist explained that milk teeth can withstand 3 acid attacks a day.

Any type of sugar, form a slice or cake to a slice of apple causes an acid attack.

So even with fruit, only give it at meal times.

Toothbrushing is also non neg in this household. Though for very small children (under 1 or so) toothpaste on a very clean damp face flannel, wrapped over you finger, and rubbed over teeth seemed to be a less challenging way to get her teeth clean.