To think that parents are responsible for their children's teeth?

[insancerre]

Dental surgeon on BBC breakfast
Says that nurseries should be brushing children's teeth
She is regularly removing all 20 baby teethfrom toddlers under a general and giving teenagers false teeth

I work in a nursery and I really don't see this as my responsibility

It's down to parents to take children to the dentist and to brush their teeth

I sometimes think people underestimate how much nursery workers do in a day. they have to care for, feed, play, clean, and keep on top of observations and paperwork. So I can agree with the "we do enough already" comment. It isnt meant to be mean but it is true. Nursery workers are over worked and underpaid.... and the gov is constantly adding more onto their workload.

HOWEVER.....we did have tooth brushing at our nursery. The children would have their dinner and stay sat at the table, then they would come to the sink and brush one at a time before they went for their nap (or free play for older children) It was part of the routine and worked well. (and staggered the children going to the sleep area so there was less carnage of children running over the beds...they would go one at a time which was easier to ensure they were on the correct bed with the correct comforters, etc)

I also do think it is parents responsibility to ensure their children brush their teeth.

Notreallyarsed
I actually love my job, thanks, and I haven't actually been asked to add brushing teeth to the routine
I didn't know I had to respond to each individual poster, so sorry if anyone feels ignored
I'm guilty of skim reading, it's a bad habit, I know
I do think that it is more important to educate parents about dental hygiene especially about visiting the dentist before one and using a proper flouride toothpaste, not a child one

Really, there's no point supporting parents and parenting should just be professionalised?

Maybe we need free extended nursery hours from birth so parents don't fuck it up, let's leave it to the professionals.

@insancerre I absolutely agree that educating parents is needed, I just think that some parents know fine what they need to do and choose not to.
I’m sorry if I offended you saying it sounds like you hate your job, it’s how it seems to come across in your posts, but I guess it’s frustration rather than hating your job.
To be fair I said to DDs keyworker yesterday I think they’re heroes because I couldn’t do what they/you do every day. I don’t have the imagination or the personality!

The teethbrushing in Nursery has drastically reduced the amount of pre school tooth extractions in our area which is a huge deal. In DS1s Nursery class (10 years ago) there were 3 bairns with no teeth at all (all extracted), and 4 or 5 with some removed.

In DD and DS2s class I don’t know of any.

Well, with the funding going the way it is and the costs increasing, the increased safeguarding load and the recruitment struggles (there are much easier ways to earn minimum wage!) there won't be many nurseries around to worry about this soon anyway.

Two big ones around here closed last year and others are planning to close in the summer if there aren't changes so are telling staff that there would be no hard feelings if they wanted to job hunt elsewhere.

OP I understand your frustration, I really do.
I’m in education as well and we already have too much to do.
The children that give us the most extra workload are the ones with parents who aren’t that great at parenting. The children who are neglected, whether deliberately or just through lack of ability. These children often don’t even have books at home and are unhealthy. We are expected to work miracles with these children in terms of getting them up to the ‘expected standard’. We have to fill in forms about them, spend lunchtime dealing with their behaviour problems, go to endless meetings and so on.
It means that of my class of 30, five children take up far more than their fair share of my time.
But you know what, it’s worth it, because those children need me, really need me, more than the others with capable parents.
It’s what stops me from handing my notice in on bad days.
By helping these children to brush their teeth, you may be saving them from a childhood of pain that’s not their fault.
That is worth it isn’t it? That’s why we do this job isn’t it?

Have those criticising ever worked in a nursery?
You find looking after 1 or 2 kids hard? Try 20 babies! For 11 hour shifts on minimum wage. With parents constantly criticising. And it meaning you aren’t looking after your own child often.
Think.

I think they should bring back the school dentist tbh and extend it to include nursery.

I don't know when this was stopped exactly (maybe in the 90s?) but surely that would at least help to pick up children who needed dental work?

Thank you notreallyarsed
I am responsible for budgets and staffing so I am feeling a little frustrated that people are suggesting this
Especially people who have no idea of what we do every day
I'm also concerned that parents will not brush their children's teeth at home because they've done it at nursery

But one person isn't looking after 20 babies for 11 hours itsbetter

I can't remember the ratio of carer to infant but isn't it 1:3?

Nuffaluff
Very wise words

I’ve never had a pop at my kids nursery workers, I tell them all the time how amazing they are (mine are in 5 mornings for 3 hours) and I think they’re fucking awesome! They go above and beyond all the time (my kids have autism and DS2 has other SN), and have been incredible in getting the support in place that benefits my children.
We’ve made a large donation in my mum’s name (she died last year) for them to do as they saw fit with (nobody knows bar MN and the senior management), I help with anything they ask for parent input with, me and my friend (another Nursery Mum) did all the baking for several bake sales because nobody else could be arsed, I have never ever turned down a request for help (wrapping 180 Christmas presents, fundraising, parent helpers for classes with kids)

But I do think that toothbrushing in Nursery is crucial because it may not be nursery’s job, but if it saves a child from suffering because their parents can’t be arsed, it can’t be a bad thing can it?

@Royalcoronation do you have any idea of the expectations and pressures on most nursery workers? Clearly it's done for love of the job because it's absolutely not done for money that's for sure!

I didn’t mean to sound like a wanky “look what I do” twat there, what I mean is that I am so grateful for everything they’ve done for our family I want to show them how much we appreciate all of it. DP has been Santa and the Easter bunny for the last 2 years too!
It really wasn’t meant in a “ooh look at us” way, more a “not all parents are dismissive of the hard work you put in” way

My youngest are in year 2 at primary now and eldest year 5. When all of them were at nursery (so quite a few years ago) parents had to provide a toothbrush and they brushed teeth after breakfast. The manager explained why - it was in a very mixed area and some children really didn't own a brush at home. I was shocked at the time but a few years down the line in far less shocked by these things.

Notreallyarsed your post didn't come across at all wanky "look what I do" twatish

@12345OnceCaughtAFish thank you, I was worried that it seemed like it.

The public health data is compelling though. Scotland & Wales now have much better better dental health.

I work with paediatric dentists & their client group - lots of families don't seem able for a variety of reasons to institute good dental hygiene for their children.

As the upset it causes those childre and their parents, not to mention the cost to the NHS could be reduced by simple interventions like this it seems crazy to not put them in place.

Notreallyarsed
You sound like a lovely parent
Thankfully most parents are lovely like you
I do bend over backwards though to keep everyone happy
It's nice to be appreciated and it means the world to have such suppprtive parents

What would you like to drop to make way for toothbrushing? For example, many of my class have speech and language needs and to be honest I rarely manage to get through all of their SaLT targets every week as it is.

Our nursery (England) did brush teeth - we brought in brushes and paste, renewed in request. Brushing was a skill leant along with other skills, supplementary to the twice a day brushing we did at home.

Our dentist says before breakfast absolutely. We let them brush own teeth am, but we brush younger ones pm, and will do till age 7 (yes 7) on dentist's strong recommendation. And yes, when younger did have to sometimes make game out of brushing, and occasionally pin 'em down.

@insancerre my DD has 4 molars that came through with no enamel at all, as a result** the dentist paints them with fluoride every 3 months and we've been told she needs to brush after all food and not snack at all if we want them to last. This is not bad diet it's just bad luck on her part (sometimes associated with gut problems which we're checking out). In her case we've had to ask nursery to make her go and brush her teeth, otherwise will be having them pulled out and she'll become another statistic.

However - my DDs nursery had already insisted we supply toothbrush and toothpaste for our children as soon as the first tooth appeared! They each have a little bag with their brush and paste and it carries on into the preschool room. I think they are helped when little but from 3 they go and do their teeth themselves after breakfast, lunch and tea. (I also brush her teeth when she wakes and before bed). So is that not normal for a nursery then?

Sorry - no idea what happened with the old text there?

itsbetter i've worked in nurseries, pre-schools & school settings so yeah, i know what goes on & what responsibilities are involved. I still think where possible nurseries/pre-schools especially should promote teeth brushing alongside the healthy eating schemes they mostly all have. We talk all the time about safeguarding vulnerable kids at schools...to me this is a small part of that

do you have any idea of the expectations and pressures on most nursery workers?

Indeed I do. I also know how vital something so bloody simple can be for vulnerable children.

It's not that I don't understand the nursery workers load, but the 'it's not my responsibility' from a nursery worker really shocked me. Of course it's not their responsibility, but surely we are not all naive enough to think that every child has a loving and caring parent. There are kids out there living in squalor. If the nursery clean their teeth surely that can only be a good thing.