18 month old in hysterics when brushing teeth

[ItCameFromOuterSpace]

Morning and night, it's the same thing, I start by being really cheery and positive and asking if dd wants to brush her teeth etc to make it fun, but as soon as she sees the toothbrush she goes into fits of hysterics and I end up brushing her teeth for her while she thrashes about and cries.

Dh sups to "just leave it" but I don't wang her to not have brushed teeth just because she's kicked up a,fuss. Dh has terrible teeth and I make sure I brush mine twice a day and floss but still have 7-8 fillings myself.

Am trying to encourage good oral hygiene.

Any tips of how to get dd to not be so hysterical during these times? Up until 13 months or so she used to love having her teeth brushed.

We had the same with DS. I spoke to our dentist who basically said it's non-negotiable and that if you need to hold them down then that's just what has to happen. We basically explained patiently every night and every morning that it had to be done and that we could either make it fun or have tears. Eventually he cottoned on that the tantrums weren't working and he is back to letting us do them again. Only hitch is days when he is teething as it hurts but he's now better able to communicate that to us (he's now 24 months) so we can be gentle. Good luck!

I'll try the mirror that sounds like a good idea actually. zzzzz very worried at this, I really hope she doesn't have cavities!

She was actually fine tonight letting me brsh her teeth for the first time in months, managed to brush them properly for a good almost minute before she got restless, thn after that she "brushed" them herself for about 15 seconds, so hopefully this will mean things are improving.