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Original poster

is it OK for force 1yo DS to clean his teeth?

31 replies

snowleopard · 28/06/2006 21:26

DS has entered strop mode and hates having his teeth cleaned. He's 12 months so we can't reason or bargain with him - so at the moment we're holding him still, cleaning his teeth against his will (as quickly as possible!) and he screams blue murder. i don't think it's actually hurting him but is it worth causing him this much distress? On the one hand I don't want his teeth to fall out, and it seems the kinder thing to do in the long run to make sure they're clean. On the other I don't want to make this a huge battleground and something he'll always associate with misery and being forced to do. We've tried all manner of tricks and games but he just hates it. Don't know what's best to do...

OP posts:

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NotQuiteCockney · 28/06/2006 21:28

I wouldn't bother. It's not worth the struggle.

My dentist says brushing teeth isn't that important if diet is good, anyway. Keep him away from sweets (and sweet drinks, and juice) and he'll be fine.

schneebly · 28/06/2006 21:29

I did it - he got over the stropiness quick enough and now a willing participant!

trinityrhino · 28/06/2006 21:29

I had to do that with dd1, atsome point she just stopped being bothered by it and I no longer had to hold her down

sorry no real help at all

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waterfalls · 28/06/2006 21:30

Apparently apples clean teeth pretty well, it may well be a myth though, can he eat apples cut into small cubes?

FairyMum · 28/06/2006 21:32

Yes, it's worth it. We have hold ours down and still have to hold DS2 who is nearly 2 down and it is a nightmare, but the laternative is worse. I disagree with the dentist who says its all about the diet. I'd say mine have all got a healthy diet, we have always brushed them twice a day and my DD and DS1 have both had fillings already! I had nightmare teeth as a child too. Healthy diet, brushed for Sweden, but 14 fillings by the time I was 6!

FairyMum · 28/06/2006 21:32

No, apples bad for teeth too. Very acidic.

Callisto · 28/06/2006 21:33

I give dd (14m) her toothbrush with toothpaste and she happily chomps on it herself. It must be doing some good but she doesn't have any sugar in her diet apart from fruit (and the odd bit of Green and Blacks) and drinks only water so her teeth arn't particularly 'at risk'.

PanicPants · 28/06/2006 21:34

Ds sometimes will let us and sometimes not. He usually will after watching me clean mine. Or if I pretend to clean my teeth with his toothbrush. We bear our teeth in the mirror too, and then he copies.
we let him hold the toothbrush and have ago himself afterwards.

But sometines he's a little bugger, and there's no way he'll let us. If he struggles I stop after a bit.

schneebly · 28/06/2006 21:35

apparently one of the best things for neutralising acid in the mouth is cheese - good to have some after something sweet.

fisil · 28/06/2006 21:36

DS2 is the same age and doesn't like having his teeth brushed either. In the mornings both boys "brush their own". Obviously there is no real benefit to the teeth of this, but it helps them to bond with their toothbrushes! In fact, Ds2 often asks for his (well, comes and stands near it with his arms up saying "ah ah ah"). In the evening I put him in bed first and then brush his teeth - then you don't have the anguish of holding him down, cos he already is!

mumfor1standfinaltime · 28/06/2006 21:39

Think it is giving all the wrong signals to hold a child to brush teeth! They should be eased into it and it should be fun and relaxed. The toothbrush should not be feared!

Ds is nearly 18 months and has been using a toothbrush since he was around 6/7m, I give him his toothbrush to 'brush' his teeth himself when he is in the bath. I then take it from him and say something like 'show mummy your cheesey grin' and he lets me quickly brush his teeth. Ok, I am not brushing them really well, but they are getting some brushing and it isn't stressful for anyone.

I leave his toothbrush in his own little basket so he can reach it himself and he 'plays' with it when he likes (under supervision) when he goes in the bathroom or in his bedroom.

FairyMum · 28/06/2006 21:41

Yes, but unfortunately I think its much better to be held down by parents brushing your teeth than a dentist with a drill......If a child needs a filling before the age of 5 it's quite horrid. Mind you, mine have bad teeth, so perhaps most can get away with less burshing than in our family.

jamiesam · 28/06/2006 21:44

I'm afraid I'm definitely in the 'hold them down and force the toothbrush in' camp. Sorry. Ds1 had a filling at age 4 and has three other dodgy teeth. Until then we had been more relaxed about teeth brushing - but he did used to have a lot of fruit juice and raisins (what an idiot I was!)

For a brief spell we had to force ds1 and ds2 (then age 2) to brush their teeth - 'nice mummy' tricks included pretending you could see their tea in their mouth while you brushed their teeth, and buying them both an electric toothbrush. Now they both brush their teeth and we 'finish off' and ds1 teeth not got any worse...

Callisto · 28/06/2006 21:47

A friends dentist reckons that fruit juice is worse by far than squash. Can't win sometimes.

mumfor1standfinaltime · 28/06/2006 21:47

Sorry, but I won't be holding ds down to brush his teeth!
I have no fillings at all at age 29 so think I am doing well! My friend is a dental nurse and I have heard many horror stories about childrens teeth - including a 2 year old with every single tooth which was rotten and the Mother said ' oh I dont brush her teeth, she's too young!'

mumfor1standfinaltime · 28/06/2006 21:50

Meant to say 'she doesn't brush her teeth, she's too young' meaning the child doesn't brush her own teeth.

jamiesam · 28/06/2006 21:56

Callisto, I know now! We NEVER used to have squash in the house. We bloo*y do now! The BDA report on the effects of raisins on young teeth came out around 3 weeks before ds1 had his first filling. He's probably had them around half a dozen times since then - and never at home!

mumfor1standfinaltime - I used to take that approach, and look where it got me! I know ds1 should never have had so much fruit juice and raisins, but I thought I was doing the right thing not giving him sweets etc... Like I said, I was an idiot. The holding him down thing didn't last for long - well, tbh, I could reason more with a 4 yr old, with Ds2 who was age 2, it might have taken a bit longer to persuade him that he WAS going to have his teeth brushed. And now he does enjoy it (this dates back to last August...)

Oh, and the dentist said to me 'oh, he's probably just got weak enamel' from which I took some solace (not my fault for feeding ds1 the wrong stuff) - until friend who's a dentist pointed out that this was probably just said to placate me and if true, was pretty bad news as would likely condemn all his teeth then! So then I felt like an idiot twice over...

Original poster

snowleopard · 28/06/2006 23:12

Thanks everyone! I'm going to try a few things - might get an electric toothbrush and see if he likes it (he does like techie type things and interesting noises) and try the letting him play thing in the mornings. We don't give him raisins very often; he does have (very watered down) juice, but drinks it through a straw which helps to bypass the teeth. He'll either have DP's super-strong teeth or my super-crap ones, don't know yet.

But mainly I just wanted to find out if other people do do the "holding" method and I wasn't being outrageously cruel... have to agree it's a lot better than being forced to have dental treatment!

OP posts:

handlemecarefully · 28/06/2006 23:26

No, lol, it definitely isn't "outrageously cruel" - unless you are using a cattle prod at the same time that is...

essbee · 28/06/2006 23:26

Message withdrawn

lazycow · 29/06/2006 10:05

Soem of you seem to have well behaved children. Ds is getting better but hated having his teeth done. Sometimes he will consent with a lot of playing but sometimes I hold and brush and that is it - max 30 sec probably.

The main problem is he insists on taking the toothbrush with him and chewing on it while he runs around when I have finished. That results in another tantrum when I take the toothbrush away. I let him put his own toothpaste on then he wants to eat the toothpaste out of the tube so we get another tantrum when I stop him doing that. tbh the crying associated with the actual brushing is pretty irrelevant really compared to the rest of it

Am about raisins - I assume the same applies to all dried fruit ? will have to cut back on that

iamapieceofcheesecake · 29/06/2006 10:15

Am mega ed at raisins. Raisins! Of all the bloody things. I thought I was doing right by ds not giving him sweets, but . He used to have a packet every day, up until a couple of months ago, but will ahve to limit them now!!!

JackieNo · 29/06/2006 10:19

In our house, brushing teeth before bed is just something that has to be done - no matter how late, tired etc. Sometimes DS (2.5) really doesn't want to do it, but it's one thing I insist on, even if it's just a token brush, just to get the message across that not doing it is not an option. He can generally be bribed by promising him that I'll switch on my electric toothbrush, and 'brush' his hand with it afterwards.

leander · 29/06/2006 10:26

I know exactly how you feel snowleopard, my dd is 14mths and is a nightmare when it comes to brushing her teeth.i give her a toothbrush and she has a chomp on it and then i take it and try to brush her teeth and she screams bloody murder but we just do the best we can.Ds 4 1/2 is brilliant with his teeth he never minded getting them brushed and now he brushes them himself for a few minutes and then i give them a brush he has got gorgous teeth.

bobblehead · 29/06/2006 14:04

I wish dd would even scream then I might stand a chance of getting the brush in her mouth! Instaed she firmly purses her lips and turns her head to one side (and when I do get her to do it herself we have the same thing as Lazy with her running round house and tantruming when I take brush back!).
Oh and sometimes she gets confused and will do a superb job of brushing her hair with the toothbrush

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