teeth brushing

How are you at brushing their teeth? im really crap. They rarely allow me and when i do, its literally one stoke in each general area.

At what age did you use toothpaste?
Is it really really bad for their teeth (i.e. gum disease) if tooth brushing isnt regular at this age? (18 months)?

 

I don't think it is horrible but I do think it is important to start. I used toddler toothpaster without flouride and I would sing the ABC's while brushing their teeth. I would sing one song and brush then they could brush for the second song. After the second ABC's I gave them a tiny dixie cup with some water. They really looked forward to drinking out of the cup!

 

It helps if you can get them to say "ah" for the back teeth and "ee" for the front teeth - that is if you can keep them from squirming away and grabbing the toothbrush

 

We would go "looking" for xxx-animals, trains, anything that would get them to go along with it. we have been to the dentist once, now we go looking for sugar bugs, sometimes they are purple striped or green and purple but whatever helps. We do awww for inside and grrrr for the front teeth. Somedays go really well, somedays it is really quick. We do the best we can. But atleast once a day and have started letting them do it themselves in th AM.

 

I guess I'm lucky because the boys love to have their teeth brushed. I was still using the finger toothbrush for babies but they kept biting down *ouch* So I got them toothbrushes and toothpaste from Oral B - they have it in stages for different ages. I just use a tiny bit and do it in the bathtub at night, and then let them do it after I'm done. They both cry when I take the brushes away from them.

 

We started doing it around 1 year and they actually really like it and like Amanda, my girls cry when I take the toothbrush away from them. We also use the Oral-B baby toothpaste w/o flouride and it actually tastes really good. They can swallow it which they do so I think it makes the brushing thing a lot easier. I think it actually feels good to have the brissles rubbing lightly against their gums. I always brush them first and when I'm done I give them the toothbrush and let them "practice" doing it. We are also really working hard to be consistent at it. I'm good at remember about 85% of the time to do it in the am but dh and I are probably at only 15% for doing it in the evening. We keep saying we have to get consistent about it. I think it's probably MORE important that they get brushed at night since they have been eating all kinds of foods all day.

 

My girls hate for their teeth to be brushed. We use the baby toothpaste too and we brush teeth after breakfast and right before bedtime. They'll open their mouth for it but then they'll shake their heads and stick their tongue out.
It's a battle for us!

 

We started at about 8 mo, an my girls love it too, and they, too, cry when we take them away, but what helped was that we started letting them "wash" the brushes under the sink after brushing and put them away themselves, so that my Sarah now runs to me when she's done so she can wash the brush. No more tears!

 

We have been brushing teeth since they have gotten them. I use a finger brush and baby orajel toothpaste that tastes like fruit and is swallowable. During bathtime, we just make it part of the routine. I sing the "Brusha Brusha" song and do their teeth and gums. It is over in less than a minute and they enjoy the gum massage.

 

We started brushing with the finger brushes at about 5 1/2 months, which is when they got their first teeth. For a very long time I was only doing it in the AM, but now I do it morning and night. It is certainly not always an easy or fun task, but I know it is something they MUST get used to! I always sing a song and try to make it as fun as possible, and let them hold a spare toothbrush while I'm doing it!

 

I am so bad for brushing their teeth and they love it too! When I remember, we do it during bath time - first I brush and then they get to.

 

We're lucky, too, b/c when we call out, "It's time to brush teeth!" they come on the run. We use those battery operated toothbrushes that spin with fun characters on them with the Oral-B toothpaste. Our deal is if they let Mommy or Daddy do a good brushing job first, then they get to brush all by themselves afterward. They LOVE that!!!

 

Brushing teeth is one of those ordeals that my kids hate. They are 2.5 years old, and I still brush their teeth before bed. I have been brushing their teeth since they first started getting teeth. I used to use the little finger brush until I nearly lost a finger. I got them some toothbrushes and used non-fluoride toothpaste. Now, they brush their own teeth after breakfast and I still brush their teeth at night. I am trying to teach them to spit out the toothpaste when they are done; so I can give them flouridated toothpaste.

It is hard to brush their teeth, but at least you are doing it. My parents never brushed my teeth when I was little. I am suprised that I don't now have gum disease, but I always get excellent dental checkups when I get a cleaning. I wouldn't sweat it too much; just keep doing what you are doing.

 

Mine don't like it either.
One thing I did find for ticklish DS is to tell him to open and I say "Let's tickle the top, let's tickle the bottom teeth". He laughs and it gets the job done- only 8 teeth. With DD we struggle, but get the job done. I have used baby tooth paste and sometimes water. I try to do the baby paste so that they get used to a flavor being used.

 

My husband and I brush our girls teeth right before bedtime. Its become such a habit that the girls know that when they get their teeth brushed, it's time for bed. We try to clap and really make it exciting for the girls. We use Grins and Giggles and have gotten the small oral-B toothbrushes. Fortunately, they love to have their teeth brushed and just like some of the others have said, are starting to try to brush themselves. It's become such a habit now, the girls just expect it.

 

We started regularly brushing their teeth in the bathtub at around a year old. They never really minded it, but they really started liking it when we started using the spin brush on them. If you've tried these and they haven't liked them, it could be the noise and intensity of them. The temporary throw away ones can provide a bit too much vibration and bother their mouths. We have a rechargeable Oral-B Braun spin brush and we just change the heads. We've had it for 3 years now and it's still working really well--and no batteries to change. Our dentist recommended it and said it is probably why their check-ups have always been good. It is also easier for them to do a good job with the spin brush when they start brushing on their own. We always let them pick out their own toothpaste at Walmart and that gets them into it too. They now even have Shrek toothpaste, plus all the favorites like Dora, Winney the Pooh etc. Keep at it, once it becomes routine, they'll stop making a fuss.

Someone posted a great brushing your teeth song that they had made up on a thread a while back. Anybody remember it?

 

We brush the girls teeth every night before bed. It is part of the bedtime routine. We use the Oral-B baby toothpaste and they each have their own small toothbrush. There are some days that very little actual brushing is done, but they always take the toothbrush and chew on it by themselves. My husband and I try to make sure that the teeth actually get brushed. We lift them up and let them get their brush wet and they think it is great. We usually only have to ask them if they are ready to brush their teeth and they will come running to the bathroom!

 

We started at about 12 months. At first I got those soft-plastic brushes from One Step Ahead (more of a chew toy than a brush), but the novelty wore off really quickly, so we switched to baby toothbrushes and baby toothpaste (no fluoride). I try to be really diligent about it, even though the ped just said "Just let them chew on a toothbrush a couple of times a day." All the dentists I know or have heard from on the internet say it's really important to actually brush their teeth, even if they only have a few.

It can definitely be a struggle. The thing that helped the most for us (a suggestion from another TSer) was to have "family toothbrush time." DH and I brush too, and the girls brush because they want to do what we are doing. They still don't do it well, but at least they enjoy it, and when they're "all done" we can usually wrestle the brush away from them and get a few good swipes in.

Another trick that sometimes helps is to hang them (the girls) upside down. I drape one across my lap with her head hanging down, and that makes her laugh, and she opens her mouth just for a second and I can get the brush in. (It doesn't work if she's already mad.)

We also do it every night before bed. Even if they don't actually want to brush, they come running when we say "Time to brush!" because they know they're about to get to see their loveys (which stay in the cribs during the day).

 

We brush at bedtime and have done so since they were about 1. It's gotten alot better. It used to be a total scream fest, now they only complain occasionally. There were many nights that I just wanted to give up and not do it.

 

It was a struggle to be consistent until DH started brushing in front of them as part of his own morning routine. They all brushed together and then he asked them to show him what they did. He re-brushed and praised. Now they usually brush without much need for encouragement. If they're not cooperating, I ask them to show one of their bath toys how to brush. That usually works to get them started. Like DH, I ask them to show me their handiwork and praise while I re-brush.

Like pps I did finger brush when teeth came. DH gave gum massages with wet washcloth since finger thing was too small for him. We're an oral-b brush/toothpaste house now. Although I think they like the taste of the toothpaste a little too much.

 

Lurking from the 6-12's: I was really, really bad about this when the kids were babies/early toddlers, and DS got his teeth really early so there was lots of time for damage to be done. He wound up with a lot of cavities in his baby teeth. I wish I had been more vigilant about it.

DD got her teeth late, and thankfully she had no problems with her baby teeth.

 

I'm a terrible mommy and will admit that we've not been brushing like we should. I'm going to HAVE to get better at brushing their teeth.

do y'all brush the gums where they are teething? What's gotten me out of sinc, I think, is when they are actively teething, I cut them some slack. know what I mean?