My child has yellow teeth

[ZebraEyes]

Hello
My DS (age 11) has always been crap at brushing his teeth well since brushing independently. I occasionally have to step in & do it for him, have to remind etc.
anyway I noticed on holiday some of his teeth are yellow & I'm mortified!
I'm going to buy whitening toothpaste tomorrow - can anyone recommend a good one & any other other whitening products that kids can use that'll help?
I am of course going to encourage him to take his time when brushing while I try & get his teeth back to how they were.
Feel like a super-neglectful parent!!!!
He only drinks water & tends to eat mostly beige food!

Are they new teeth? New adult teeth often look yellowish when they first come through.

Obviously brushing always good though! I haven’t seen any whitening toothpaste for kids but our dentist has always said electric toothbrush (oral b type) is much more effective than manual, does he have one?

Yup. Buy him an electric toothbrush with the tiny computers thingy you stick on the wall. It times you!

Take him to the hygienist and get him an electric toothbrush.

Thanks for the replies
He has an electric one already - might get a new one if there are any on offer, that might encourage him to clean them better.
Teeth haven't come through recently no.
Timer suggestion's a good one! Thank u

@minipie I didn't know this. My daughters were the same "new teeth yellow" but they are lovely and white now.

I would be focusing on the core issue, not the cosmetic point of view. The only properly effective whitening treatments are also damaging to the teeth. Not worth the risk of harming enamel, causing sensitivity etc at his age. Whitening toothpastes are largely a marketing ploy and don’t really work - save your money.

Invest in a good electric toothbrush (he will probably be more motivated to use a ‘techy’ one that connects to his phone, changes colour etc). Expensive but if it gets him brushing better + more regularly it will be worth it. 11 year olds aren’t known for their love of flossing so I’d look at a WaterPik too. Has he been to the dentist recently OP? If not maybe time for a check up - he’s far more likely to take criticism from them on board than he will from you.

I really do empathise with you - DD was horrendous in the tooth brushing department when she was younger, it was a constant battle but then all of a sudden I had a 14 year old with sparkly white teeth and better dental hygiene than most adults! It will come with time.. often a bit of peer pressure isn’t a bad thing

Remember to take him to the dentist for his six monthly check up.
The dentist will remind him of his valuable teeth needing gentle and consistent care.

Agree, sometimes new adult teeth can emerge rather yellow but then go lighter. Show your son photographs online of teens who don't look after their teeth and how much pain they're in. Both of you use the red disclosure tablets together - always a shocker and wake-up call! Regular trips to dentist and hygienist. All of these strategies helped my son.

It doesn't matter what toothpaste you use it is the mechanical action of tooth brushing that must improve. Electric and manual brushes have very different techniques.