Brushing 15Mth Old Sons Teeth Is a Chore!!!

I also had to hold my son down to get his teeth brushed. i'd pin him to the floor using my legs to hold down his legs and arms and with his head between my thighs and brush like crazy. i felt terrible doing it, but better that than rotting teeth! he is now 15 and doesnt even remember me having to pin him. good luck!

Lay him on the floor and kneel over him. If he screams, just keep brushing. It's simply "loud compliance". If he holds his breath with his mouth open, brush fast. You might also try letting him watch TV while you brush. It sounds like he has a very good tantrum going on and I'd just be fast and not let him win the power struggle. I'd also try to remember to brush twice because if they are very short, he really needs the extra time. I taught DD to say "AAA" and "EEE" to get her teeth. She had some tough phases and I out stubborned her. I would also consider taking him to a pediatric dentist to make sure that this is only a tantrum and not that there's something hurting in his mouth. Even little guys can get cavities.

For the first two years of her life I pinned my DD down on the bathroom floor every morning and every evening and brushed her teeth under screaming and crying. Trust me I had tried all the "tricks", the songs, electrical toothbrushes, the whole song and dance.

You know what: now at almost 5 she has perfect teeth, she refuses to leave the house or go to bed without brushing and she is most cooperative at the dentist!
At her age my baby teeth where already rotting out of my mouth and my adult teeth had cavities before they were fully grown in! I WISH my mom hadn't been so negligent about my oral health as a young child!

You are the mom, this is your job. I assume even though he turns blue he doesn't actually pass out.... He will eventually accept it as a part of his routine and the screaming will stop.
He will thank you later.
Good luck.

When my DD started throwing fits about brushing her teeth I did a few things...

If she bit me, I would pinch her lip, or push down under her tongue. (not hard, but enough to be uncomfortable. It only took 3 tries before she stopped, and she has NEVER bitten since...)

When she tried to bite the toothbrush, or to clamp her mouth shut, I would stick the toothpaste tube in her mouth... (we had the kind with a fat tip, and I would place it between her front teeth so she COULDN'T close her mouth.) That also helps with the breath holding... It's pretty hard not to breathe when your mouth is wide open!

When she fought too much, I would lay her down on the counter, and get them brushed.

She only fought me for a couple of weeks... Once she realized that it wouldn't get her anywhere, she stopped. She is 27 months now, and never fights me any more....

THAT SAID... have you tried any of the 'fun' ways to get him more interested? I used to let her hold MY toothbrush, and brush my teeth while I did hers. Or I would tell her 'open wide! We gotta get those dinosaurs out of your teeth!' (She loved dinosaurs...) This was when she just wasn't interested, and not actually fighting though...

Also... we got a cheapie electric toothbrush. ($5.00) My DD LOVES the way it buzzes, and I feel like it does a much better job getting her teeth clean than I can with a manual brush. :)

You gotta do what you gotta do. The good news is that if he passes out, he will begin breathing again and you will have a moment to finish the brushing.

Have you tried letting him brush your teeth and then you brush his?

Tell him if he will let you brush his teeth he can brush yours or dad. Or how about dad brushing his teeth? Good way for them to bond.

How about making a big deal of choosing a new toothbrush just for him.
Let him pick it out (some superhero one).
Brush your teeth WITH him.
Let him see how you do it.
Sing a song with it. "This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth..."
Try training toothpaste first)

Have you tried a different toothbrush (one that he chooses) or a different flavor toothpaste? Or maybe a different time of day would be better when he is not so tired and prone to tantrums. I agree with some of the other Moms, brush your teeth while he brushes his own, and then you can do a quick finish on his. Maybe if he gets to chew on the toothbrush on his own, it won't be scary to him. I would also check him for new teeth or anything that might cause pain, just in case.

Let him brush his own teeth. tell him if he doesnt then you will have to brush them. Let him do it twice a day, three would be better, and dont worry about how good a job he does. As long as he doesn't have a lot of hard candy, soda and other risk factors for teeth decay Most important that he doesnt have a bottle in his mouth most of the day or a bottle of milk when he goes to bed. Another thing that helped was to have two toothbrushes and let him choose which one to use.