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Parenting

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Original poster

Two year old and Teeth Brushing - HOW???

35 replies

Tallulah1978 · 13/05/2010 16:22

My 2 DS WILL NOT brush his teeth. When his first teeth appeared and for some time he was happy to have a little brush himself and let me do it almost properly, but now, at 2 years and 4 months, and since he was 22 months he wont let me near with a tooth brush.

His lovely white milk teeth are starting to look yellow with plaque, and as he's a boy who is fond of garlic......well.....

Any ideas of how to get him brushing again would be much appreciated....

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

doggiesayswoof · 13/05/2010 16:28

I don't know but will be watching this with interest. DS (2 next week) currently lies down on the bathroom floor, chews his toothbrush and screams if I try to either brush his teeth or take the toothbrish away...

xandrarama · 13/05/2010 16:38

My DD is 17 months but I can see this happening in our future. No advice to give, but hoping someone else turns up with some that I can use too...

morethemerrier · 13/05/2010 21:12

Best advice I can give you is get them to choose their own brush from the shops, and give them a mirror so they can see what they are doing, making lots of frothy bubbles by brushing properly in their mouth always amazed my DC!

For older children,
You used to be able to get harmless red coloured tablets that dissolved in water and you swish them around your mouth so it stuck to the plaque and it helps older children see where they were missing when brushing, dentists may still sell them?

hth

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GFatemybaby · 13/05/2010 21:14

We just got DD an electric princess brush from the Disney shop. She loves it, calling it a big girls brush, and she insists that we clean ours at the same time (with our electric toothbrush). Before that it was getting really difficult.

BlameItOnTheBogey · 13/05/2010 21:18

I sit on the floor with ds. He brushes my teeth and I brush his. He is so delighted to be able to jam a toothbrush around my mouth clean my teeth that I tend to be able to give his a good scrub.

themothershipcalling · 13/05/2010 21:20

I have same problem with DD - same age - and my Health Visitor gave me some great advice which was not to try and clean them for them from behind IYSWIM? So I stand behind DD and clean them while she looks in the mirror.

It does involve mind-bending concentration but seems to work!

mamaduckbone · 13/05/2010 21:35

I sat behind ds too, usually on the bathroom floor, and let him choose his toothbrush, brush mine, his bear's...any trick in the book really. I hate to say it but I was horrible and wouldn't let him avoid it - at times it involved pinning him down - but he got over it and now does them with no argument whatsoever. Some things are non - negotiable IMO. Do you want him to have fillings in his baby teeth?

PiratePrincess · 13/05/2010 21:40

I bought my DS the electric spiderman toothbrush (think it's Disney). Highly recommended!

OhExpletive · 13/05/2010 21:45

No story if you don't have clean teeth, and a reminder that they will all fall out if not brushed properly. He's not yet discovered that this is unlikely to happen instantaneously

Surprisingly effective - after a moment's consideration he usually relents. If that fails I find it's quite easy to brush while he screams.

Am I a bad mother?

Seriously, aside from the above I've found having a couple of different toothpastes on the go helps, so he can choose the one he wants.

mamaduckbone · 13/05/2010 21:47

Just remembered another one...chasing away the monkeys in his mouth!!!!

WoofyWifey · 13/05/2010 21:47

Electric toothbrush for a 2yo? My DD is very much little miss independant and won't let me help what so ever with brushing her teeth. I always assumed electric toothbrushes wouldn't be suitable at such a young age?

GFatemybaby · 13/05/2010 21:52

Seems OK - think it might have been for 36 months but honestly it's the less of all the other evils.

AmeliaJaneAgain · 13/05/2010 22:01

mamaduck, I'm with you, toothbrushing is non-negotiable in this house, either nicely with games and jokes and cuddles or not nicely, on my lap, one arm to hold him still and the other to brush, we only had to do it not nicely once... now he knows there's no point arguing he doesn't!

EdgarAllenPoll · 13/05/2010 22:07

i brush mine with her. I let her muck about with the brush first, then tell her i am going to 'tickle'her teeth. a bit tense as she will try and bite my fingers if they get close enough...but i make an effort to tel her where i am going to brush next, and tell her how good she is.

if she's really tired even that doesn't work, and i stil get 'Noooooooooooo'

WoofyWifey · 13/05/2010 22:09

I'll have to have a look, might work (assuming she's not petrified of it)

domesticslattern · 13/05/2010 22:40

Things which have helped are:

taking her to the shop to choose her own toothbrush and crocodile toothpaste
she "helps" me brush my teeth first, then has a go doing hers on her own, then I do hers for her.
she gets to choose a song which I sing while I brush her teeth. It is the only time I take requests!
We talk about how important it is, practise on dolly, take her to the dentist with us, read books where Lola is being a dentist etc. etc.- lots of waffling about teeth in our household and how it is "ouchy" if you don't brush them.

I think probably the most important though is that it is utterly inescapable as she knows that I never stop doing it however much she screams and cries. We went through a phase when I would have to get her in a headlock to do it, but now she is mostly OK with it even though it is clearly not her fave activity.

I remember someone else on MN saying that they would rather that they held their unhappy child down and made them cry than someone who didn't love their child (ie. a dentist) did it.

If you need spurring on, think of that awful programme about the Liverpool children's hospital where 2 year olds were having general anaesthetics to have all of their teeth removed and the mothers were all bawling their eyes out. Makes me redouble my efforts every time!

whatname · 13/05/2010 22:45

Talullah, mines the same, been like this for months. Tried all of the above. Only thing that has worked is when he saw his friend/cousin do it when staying over.
I actually pin him down, I won't give in. He struggles and cries but it lasts less than a minute. hoping he will come round soon, but no sign of it!

snala · 13/05/2010 23:06

We have good days and bad days with teeth brushing.

On the bad days I pin him down and get the job done, we tell ds the truth- that its better for mummy and daddy to brush them than the dentist taking them out.

Its non-negotiable in our house too. I would be mortified if he had yellow teeth or plaque.

Could your dentist have a stern word? or offer any advice

choosyfloosy · 13/05/2010 23:12

one thing that helped with ds at that time was for him to do a dinosaur roar ready for dinosaur brushing?

DilysPrice · 13/05/2010 23:24

I agree that if you're utterly sure in your own mind that it's non-negotiable and you will use force if necessary then they will give in.
Unfortunately if you've already let it slip a bit it will be more difficult, so you need to signal a fresh start in some way.
Could you take him to a dentist for a firm chat directed to both of you, and then say "Well, now we know don't we, and we're going to do the right thing!" (that sounds a bit 1950's but there must be a better phrase out there).
DS lived in mortal terror of "Horrid painful black holes" in his teeth - to this day if he's reluctant I say "What happens if you don't brush your teeth?" and he says "HBH!" and gives in.

mooki · 13/05/2010 23:44

I picked up a tip from here about asking what they have eaten today and describing as you are cleaning off specific foods.

These days she's much better (32 months) - I have to say 'knock knock' to get her to open her mouth (she always laughs).

lilacclaire · 14/05/2010 01:19

I might have social services chapping on my door after posting this, but here goes....

My ds was exactly the same, I ended up pinching his nose (gently) so he had to open his mouth to breath, then I let go once I had the brush in! Sheer desperation you understand.......

When I met dp he was horrified and said why don't you just tickle him and he'll open his mouth when he laughs.

ScreaminEagle · 14/05/2010 01:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

thumbwitch · 14/05/2010 02:10

Am impressed that some of you let your DC brush their own teeth at this age - DS is 2.6 but I still do his for him or they wouldn't get done properly at all! He gets to do it after me, while I do mine.

DS goes through fits and starts with it - at the moment he has 4 molars coming through so is loathing having it done because it's all a bit tender in there - I tell him it has to be done as the price he pays for having chocolate. No teeth brushing, no chocolate.
I am also evil mummy - when he opens his mouth to bawl in protest, in goes the brush. I sit on the loo seat, him between my legs side on, so I can see what I'm doing (mostly) and he can't escape. Headlocks have been employed at times as well.

I have horrible teeth, poor enamel partly the problem, so don't want DS to suffer as I did if I can avoid it (hence why I'm still doing the brushing for him, I guess).

The only thing that currently concerns me is that he insists on sucking the toothpaste off the brush and therefore swallows it all instead of spitting it out - hope that's not going to cause any problems.

differentnameforthis · 14/05/2010 06:12

TW, that shocks me too, children this young do not have the dexterity to brush their own teeth, electric toothbrush or not! My dd1 is 6 & I still brush her teeth.

Your ds will be OK swallowing the toothpaste, as long as it is only a small amount used each time.

I am also shocked how many use force to brush teeth. You are giving them a bad message in relation to their teeth & this is what causes dental phobias in most people. First/early experiences are very important & can do damage!

I know the concern with children not brushing, being a dental nurse it is non negotiable in my house too. Luckily dd1 loved it...still does & would happily spend hours brushing (which isn't good in itself). Dd2 was not so happy.

I find that letting her have a play toothbrush helps. Not only is it good for teething (no teething ring I know gets all the way back for the molars) but it helps with sensation of the bristles etc.

I sit on the floor, cross legged, with their heads in my lap. The head tips slightly back so helps with the view & I pull silly faces! Dd1 is too old for that now, but she still likes it sometimes, when she sees dd2 doing it. Dd2 will now have her teeth brushed any time, day or night.

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