Toddler doesn't allow me to brush his teeth

[surreyisik]

Long story short my 14 month old doesn't allow me to brush his teeth. I have tried finger brushes and normal baby brushes and nothing works, he hates them all.
There are plaques showing in his teeth and the dentist says increase the frequency of brushing, how useful.
Anyone had the same problem? Did anything work? I'm so terrified he will get teeth problems at this early age.
Thank you!

Mine won't let me brush his teeth either, I give him the toothbrush so he can bite on it, then I'll try and do a little brush here and there while he's biting. I don't force it on him, though, as he just gets upset.

When mine went through the refusing phase i swaddled/wrapped him in a towel after his bath (to pin his arms in) and leant him back across my lap to get the brush in. He eventually figured out it was happening regardless and fought less, and he grew out of that stage fairly quickly. No issues now so there is hope!

I have forced it on occasion with my youngest, it's a non negotiable. Pin down the arms, brush in, quick as possible, big praise when done and breezily on to storytime. Not fun, but necessary, especially if a dentist says the teeth are needing a bit of extra attention (IMO).

When they're older if it's still an issue, sticker charts etc may be useful but they won't be any good at this age.

Good ol' 90s style parenting - It's a bit like giving cat medication, wrap them up in a towel and hold them tight, it has to be done.

I'd avoid trying to do it too close to bedtime and might keep a brush downstairs and do it 20 mins after their last meal instead of in the bathroom.
Get them to brush yours and a teddy's teeth.
Turn it into a game, get the tablets that dye your teeth and race to see who can brush it off the best.

The toothbrush song by Hey Duggie....she eventually got the idea, whilst I was brushing mine.

He will get tooth problems if you don’t brush his teeth so it should be non negotiable. By all means try to make it more tolerable- let him watch Cocomelon signing about teeth brushing, have a second tooth brush for him to hold, brush teddy’s teeth etc but if he still fights it then swaddle him in a towel, use an age appropriate brush and toothpaste with fluoride and just get on with it.

You pin them down, like giving medication.

They're 14 months old. Just hold them down/wrap in a towel. You need to make stuff like this completely non negotiable. Ditto wearing clothes/shoes out of the house, car seats, holding hands by roads etc.

As above. It was non-negotiable, we held his arms down or did it when he was in his towel. He's now 2.5 and is brilliant.

I agree with pp, its non negotiable. Especially if the dentist has told you to brush more. They don't like brushing their teeth but will dislike being older with not great teeth more.

My dd HATED brushing her teeth and I had to swaddle her and do it. She cried, I cried. I spent weeks feeling like the worst mum for making her do it but you just need to do it. They will get used to it (and thank you for it) eventually.

A song can help. DH lets DS3 brush daddy's teeth with his toothbrush while he brushes DS3's teeth with his baby toothbrush.

It is sort of just cheerfully force it for a bit. I used to try and make sure I focused on one quadrant a day so that they all got evenly brushed.

If you had antibiotics in pregnancy or your baby had them when newborn their enamel might be weak in which case it's not really your fault... But definitely worth pursuing techniques either way.

We put my just turned 2 year old in a headlock, I mean it's less than ideal but there's no way you can avoid brushing teeth, it isn't optional. I'll add that everytime starts with a gentle approach, on the odd occasion he will just let you and that's fine, he's showered with praise when he does, but 9 times out of 10 he will refuse so you have to hold him down to do it. Sounds awful but far better than having to having teeth pulled out when they are rotten and struggling to eat for years.

Non-negotiable for us as well. You can try different things, particularly as they get a bit older eg them "brushing" your teeth first, brushing a teddy's mouth with a dry spare toothbrush etc. But basically if it came to it, we'd force it.

Xylitol is your friend here; you can get it in child toothpaste and in little mint ‘sweets’ that they have after tooth brushing once a day, either morning or evening (because it can have a laxative effect) . The xylitol creates a barrier on the teeth so the plaque doesn’t stick.
It has had very positive effects on tooth decay in Finland where all preschool and primary kids are given a mint daily.
My grandson has stopped with the eternal wrestling and tantrums because he’s going to get the ‘sweetie’ after having his teeth brushed. His teeth have looked so much cleaner since.

Thanks all. With some fighting and collaboration with DH we managed to clean his teeth properly and remove the plaque. I guess I was under the influence of people who say "oh we never cleaned baby teeth in the 60s and they are all fine!". I was trying to clean his teeth in a hit and miss manner and didn't realise how quickly plaque can build up, according to the dentist it's the saliva of some people making teeth more prone to.
Lesson learned and thankfully no damage done.