Unable to clean toddler’s teeth, any tips?

[Yayayo]

So my DD is 18 months and when she was a baby she loved having her teeth/gums cleaned. Then it all started to change when she turned 1, to the point that now she hates it. I somehow manage to clean her bottom ones before she goes to bed, she doesn’t mind that too much, but she hates me touching her top ones, she goes absolutely mental. So they’ve not been cleaned for weeks now

Any tips would be very much appreciated x

I switched to flavourless toothpaste. It was transformative.

My DD (2.75) likes choices. I think it makes her feel empowered. She won't do anything she doesn't want to do and is very stubborn - teeth brushing is generally a battle most days. I recently bought a pack of 5 brightly coloured child's toothbrushes from Poundland and I've been asking her which colour she wants to choose - blue, orange, purple, green or pink. She seems to respond well to this. She also only appears to like the taste of Milk Teeth. When I changed to a stronger, minty flavour, she really disliked it. A health visitor suggested having her brush her teeth in front of a mirror, which I never got around to trying. I find that brushing teeth in the bath is better received than out of the bath.

When mine have been through these phases, I lie them down on the floor with their head between my legs and their arms pinned under my legs. It's actually really easy then to brush as you have a good view of the teeth too. I often do it like this even when they are not protesting.

I have to do the pin down method with my toddler, my younger childless sister was aghast when she witnessed it once. I told her it's either that or have them removed by a dentist when he's older.

It's a lot easier to make them want to do something than to make them do something. I stop them doing what I want them to do until they are desperate to do it - took littlest one's toothbrush away while her two brothers and I brushed our teeth pulling silly faces and making noises while I brushed their teeth briefly. Day 1 she was asking for hers, Day 2 she was desperate to join in and have her toothbrush and her teeth brushed. So far, not looked back.
Worked a treat when my middle one needed to wear glasses at 18 months, my eldest and I wore our sunglasses everywhere, talked about how cool we looked, danced and posed in them and wouldn't let him have them. We did that for about 3 days before we picked his real glasses up and by that time he couldn't wait to get them on and the only problem was getting them off him to go to bed! Within a few days he had worked out that they actually made it easier to see and (touch wood) has worn them brilliantly ever since.
It sounds a bit cruel (and can feel it at the time) but stopping them doing something isn't as bad as trying to force them. it is easier if you have elder ones, my first had to be motivated by wanting to do grown up things rather than wanting to join in the fun, but leaving the toothbrush slightly out of reach, or just in reach and taking it away each time they get it works too!!

Thanks everyone, lots of brilliant ideas x