How do you take care of your toddler's teeth?

[bakewellbride]

I have a 2 and a half year old. Everything had been going well before, the dentist always said how great / spotless / healthy her teeth were. But today my dh found some yellowing and plaque on some of the back teeth and we are both very upset.

Can I please ask for any tips / advice on how to care for her teeth better?

I already brush twice a day without fail using flouride toothpaste for her age for 2 mins. She eats a healthy diet with reduced sugar and doesn't drink juice regularly. No food or anything half hour before or after brushing. Where am I going wrong?

Please be kind, i already know im a shit parents don't need this pointed out to me, practical advice only please.

Presumably you've approached the dentist for advice?

Her dentist appointment is next week, we can't really get her in any sooner sadly as it's a really busy dentist.

Firstly YOU ARE NOT a shit parent. You have noticed there seems to be some kind of issue DESPITE having followed all advice and you are seeking appropriate professional help for it. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You have noticed and are dealing with it.

You aren’t shit! We had similar with DD. It’s hard to brush their teeth between them wanting to do it themselves and getting them to stay still to get to every corner. I’m sure the dentist will give good advice.
My daughter had funny brown streaks on her front teeth for a while, enough careful brushing and it went away 🙂

What kind of brush are you using? We've always used an electric toothbrush and no issues.

Also, make sure you are scrubbing kind of upwards from gum, try and "sweep" the plaque away from the gum line.

Make sure you're getting all the way to the back teeth.

Thank you so much all. Her appointment is on the 12th so hopefully that will help me even more

@fanaticalfairy we use a manual brush, maybe we should consider electric though. Thank you I will bear everything you said in mind.

My daughter has a cavity and two molars with staining due to silent reflux. Our dentist said to avoid kids toothpaste as either they don't contain enough fluoride or the have the same amount of fluoride as adult toothpastes so they are more of a marketing product. She has fluoride treatment every 3 months and this has stopped any further deterioration and she's not so hard needed her cavity treating.
We have an electric toothbrush and we brush her teeth with her partial reclined. We find leaning her on a pillow or a bean bag so she's at a 30 degree angle we get a better view of her teeth when we brush her them.
I felt awful when we found she had a cavity but thoroughly relieved that over a year down the road we are in a stable place and we have improved her reflux treatment too.