Teeth brushing?

We have not yet really accomplished to brush my boys" teeth and I am wondering how did you start doing it and how do you manage keep doing it?any tips?

 

I brought baby toothbrush from mothercare. we started with one of our sons who started teething almost 2 months before his brother. Our sons pedi recommended that we brush their teeth on a daily basis with tiny amount of baby toothpaste on the brush. However we don't do it yet on a daily basis. Maybe twice a week or so.

At first my son hated it, and began crying and pulling his head just seeing me holding the brush. But when DH began brushing his teeth, he seems to like it and cry when he stops! Good luck.

 

My sons were almos a year when I started brushing their teeth. I just bout a baby tooth brush and some safe baby toothpaste and with every bath I would brush them. Now they will be 23 months old and after every meal I say lets go brush our teeth and they follow me into the bathroom with their mouths open say AAAHHHHH the whole way down the hall. They only let me brush for about a minute or so, but it still helps. Just be consistant and try to make it fun for them. Good Luck!!

 

We started when they boys were about 12 months (they didn't even *have* any teeth until about 11 months!). We bought the Orajel baby toothpaste kit with finger brushes and started holding them in our laps singing a silly song. They took to it pretty well and didn't make much of a fuss until they started cutting molars. Then they started biting.

We got them toddler toothbrushes that they can hold themselves, but they don't really brush; they mainly just chew on them, so we have to follow up with the finger brushes. Unfortunately they're still biting. :gah: I don't want to make a big deal of it because I don't want to make tooth-brushing a negative thing, so I'm hoping this is just one of those phases they will outgrow. They don't do it maliciously, but they're teething like mad and are very bitey when you touch their teeth.

I'm hoping that your boys don't bite! We make it part of our boys' bedtime ritual (after milk) so they know to expect it; be consistent and just make it part of their daily routine. :good:

 

we also do it as part of the bedtime routine - after we've changed them into their jammies we go in the bathroom to brush their teeth. it's just a part of the day for them, and us, now. they both have toddler tooth brushes & we use a small amount of non-flouride baby toothpaste. we usually let them do their own thing for a little bit (which mostly involves chewing on their brushes) and then i get in there and do some brushing as well - we've taught them to say "ahhh" for their back teeth & "eeeee" for their front teeth. i've recently started brushing my teeth with them & have noticed an improvement in their technique - seeing me do it has them actually doing more brushing and less chewing now. :good:

all that being said, my dentist said that we don't really need to make ourselves crazy about it for now - mostly, it's just good for it to be a habitual part of their day. she said the most important thing for them at this age is to try and avoid an excess of sugary foods and to not let them fall asleep with juice or milk at bedtime or naptime. she feels that prevention is the best thing at this stage.

 

I started around 10 months old (my two had several teeth by then)...first with a wet washcloth & then with a brush and very small amount of baby toothpaste. I would give them a toothbrush to hold, while I used another to brush their teeth. As they got a little older, they wanted to do it themselves, so DH and I would demonstrate for them and let them try & and then we give their teeth another brush. I have also let them brush my teeth too, they have a turn brushing mine and then I have a turn brushing theirs.
I agree with making it consistent and part of their daily routine. We now brush in the AM and PM and the kids are pretty good about it, though we have had some battles.

 

I was told by their pedi to start brushing as soon as they got their first tooth, so for us at 6 months. We started with the finger brushes and then moved onto regular brushes.

There was a period that they would not let me brush and then I switched to a battery operated brush and the LOVED it. I think it has a lot to do with the vibrating and how it feels in their mouths.

I brush at least once a day, usually right after breakfast. At 27 months they now enjoy getting their teeth brushed and will jump up and down waiting for me to get things ready.

 

I've been brushing their teeth since before they were a year just so they get used to it. They didn't have teeth yet so I would just brush their gums. Now, they brush their own teeth. They love getting their teeth brushed and get mad at me if I forget to do it when they take their baths.

I do use the toddler toothpaste cause it tastes good to them, and the tooth brushes from Oral B that have winnie the pooh and Tigger on them who they love.

 

we started like many of the previous posters. these days we do it twice a day, once in the morning before going downstairs for breakfast and once in the evening right after their bath. they know what the phrase "brush teeth" means and they like the taste of the non-fluoride toothpaste. they get excited and say, "teeth!" when it's time. i sing "brush brush brush" to the tune of bananaphone while i brush all of their teeth, then i hand them the toothbrush and let them do it themselves.

they didn't enjoy it at first and jacob would cry and gag. but i praised them and told them they were brave and doing a good job and after a while i think they believed the praise and started regarding it as a happy activity.

 

We added it to our routine first thing in the morning when we change diapers and again in the evening when we put on their night time diapers, starting at 11 mos when they got teeth. I use the finger brush and sing a silly song about brushing. They have gone through phases where they'll resist or bite down, but we get through those and keep at it.

I took my girls to a pediatric dentist a couple of weeks ago for a check up and the dentist told me to start flossing between the teeth that are touching. I thought that was over-the-top and mine would never go for it. Well, I decided to give it a try and bought the floss that is on the picks and told the girls that the doctor said we had to do this, and they've let me do it from the get-go. I even tell them to lean back so I can see to do the top teeth and they do it. We floss in the evenings.

As a side note, mine love the toddler toothpaste, so I give them toddler toothbrushes with a tiny bit of toothpaste as they're getting out of their bath and it keeps them from crying (they hate to get out of the tub). They get to practice brushing their own teeth and it is a great distraction. I've also used that trick if one is particularly upset and on the verge of a tantrum and it works great.

 

We haven't had them brush their teeth in the bathroom. We let them walk around with their toothbrushes in their room. Some nights are good, some nights not so good.
We started toothbrushes 10 months? We started Spiffies since they got their first teeth. They love chewing on them themselves. It helps me feel better about the nights they don't brush well.

 

I started brushing their teeth when they started getting teeth around 7 mos old, but only with water at the time. The dentist gave me a prescription for Floride Sodium Drops, says not to use toothpaste at this age. So after the meal we put the drops in their mouths (which they love) and try to attempt brushing their teeth. Depends on their moods, we've been doing it for so long now, but they still give us a hard time. Some days they let us brush others they put up a fight..SIGH...then we let them try brushing themselves, which they like...they actually giggle when they see the bottle of the floride drops...it's a struggle but we manage.

 

our boys are 21 months and so far we've made it kid of a game. any time I go to brush my teeth i tell say "lets go brush our teeth!" and we all go to the bath room and i give them their baby brushes and i brush my own. they want to copy anything so they are thrilled to brush away. its hard to get them to stop! so far i just wet it them with water (no toothpaste) my pediatritian said at this point its more about getting them into the routine and making it fun.

 

I just wanted to address this topic since I'm a Dental hygienist. Start brushing teeth as soon as they come in. Just use a tiny amount of flouride free toothpaste. You also want to get them used to you putting fingers in their mouths etc. Do the best you can in big circles on their teeth and scrub the chewing surfaces when the molars come in. Let them see you brush your teeth to set a good example. Start them young. You want to make a habit out of it. If they resist they need to be forced unfortunately. Its tough love. Its alot worse to have to get cavities filled, crowns and teeth pulled then forcing them to brush their teeth. Also sticky retentive foods are the worst ex fruit roll-ups, raisins etc. All these stick in the grooves and cause constant acid attacks. You want to brush after these types of treats. Let them practice with the toothbrush but follow up with YOU brushing their teeth. They are too young to do a good job by themselves. Also try to floss. I know its difficult. Lay them back on the bed or a chair to get a better view. Keep trying if they don't like it. Hopefully , eventually if they let you do it that will be a good habit for life! :youcandoit:

 

I give mine a toothbrush during their bath and they just love to use it!

 

We just recently started trying to brush teeth, we do it before bed, I get them ready and put them in their cribs and then grab their tooth brushes with a small cup of water and toothpaste, and away we go. Super short, super quick, and we aren't in an everyday habit yet, but we're working on it!