how to keep DCs teeth in good order

[drivingmisscrazy]

there's been a few threads on here about this recently - but the advice is very contradictory. DD is 16mo and suddenly not very keen on tooth-brushing (was doing it herself happily before ). So what is the advice then?

DD has a small amount of juice at breakfast (this is to get medication into her), her breakfast, then clean teeth. She eats fruit sometimes for snacks and often has a smoothie mid-afternoon (I'm thinking I might drop this, given what someone said on another thread); she still has a last bottle in bed (a leftover from being BF to sleep when smaller).

She mostly drinks water during the day and with meals...and I know that we should move/drop that bottle . Suddenly paranoid that her teeth are all going to go black and fall out before she's even got them all....

um, just make sure her teeth are brushed after the night time bottle and i think you should be ok. we do bottle in lounge then 15 mins chill out then teeth, story and bed. i think as long as they are brushed twice a day they should be healthy no?

well that's what I thought, but all sorts of alarm about juice and fruit and I don't know what all. I had no tooth decay as a child - I didn't get many sweets, and no juice (back then we didn't even have juice!) but I don't recall all this palaver and angst...

I've been worried about the same thing sonow give dd her bottle downstairs then make sure at least 15mins is left before brushing her teeth and then once in pj's she has a couple of ozs of waterbin a bottle before getting into bed.

Don't really see what the problem is tbh. DD always drinks juice (pure fruit juice not squash!) through the day, I brush her teeth in the evening and she does it in the morning, she is 2 by the way. I've never worried that her teeth would rot, and she only has sugary things as occasional treats.

I drink Ribena which has LOADS of sugar in it, and my teeth are fine, and have lasted much longer then DD's will before they are replaced by adult teeth. As long as your DD doesn't have loads of suger and you brush her teeth twice a day, her teeth will be fine.

My DD (2) only drinks water and doesn't have sweets or chocolate apart from special occasions. She has never had a bottle. I have brushed her teeth every day twice a day since her first tooth broke through. I have been to the dentist this week as it looks like there is some decay . I think some of it is luck and good (or bad) genes.