Brushing Teeth - Oregon City, OR

I have a 2 1/2 year old boy that as long as I let him brush his own teeth he does just fine. I tell him to say EEEE and AHHHH and I bought him a elmo electric toothbrush so even though he doesnt really have the motion of brushing down they still get clean and there's no fighting or holding him down. In fact he'll go into the bathroom 3 or 4 times a day just to brush his teeth, as far as I'm concerned even if he misses some spots at the regular brushing times at some point he'll get them. It makes it easier for us and makes it fun for him so that when he gets older he won't hate it....

my daughter did the same thing.. she outgrew it and now at 3 loves to brush her teeth.. we always tell her to say "EEEE" and she holds her teeth in a smile so i can brush the front.. then "AAAHHH" for the back teeth.. she thinks it is halarious! and loves to do it. We also use fun tooth brushes thanks to my mom.. and dora toothpaste... My son is 2 and his two front teeth are close together which require flossing.. Yeah flossing a 2 year old is fun.. well, he isn't a milk drinker either and now seems to have a cavity forming between them!!
so don't give in... otherwise you'll be fixing a cavity at the dentist like we'll be doing soon. :(

My daughter still does this when I brush her teeth and she's 2 and 1/2. She says owie, when I don't think it really hurts...but maybe I'm pressing too hard, or maybe the bristles are too hard. Make sure you have soft bristles...which I'm sure they are if it's a baby one, and then just do it gentle.

Another way I get her to let me do it is by telling her she can't have treats if she doesn't let me brush.

And last but not least, we sing the Barney song about "brushing my teeth"...works every time!

"Oh I'm brushing my teeth on top, it's so much fun I hate to stop, but while I'm brushing my teeth and having so much fun, I never let the water run...NO, I never let the water run."

There's a few more verses, but if I sing it while we're brushing, she usually lets me get what I need to get and then it's her turn.

Is it that she doesn't want you to brush her teeth or that she doesn't want to brush her teeth at all? If she's willing to brush her teeth I'd let her brush her teeth for a few days and then suggest that you'd like to "inspect" her work. Look all her teeth over and praise her about what a good job she does. Do this a few times. Then say something about having so much fun watching her brush you'd like to do some touch ups for her. Make it sound special and fun.

I have had this difficulty with my granddaughter and a routine similar to this worked. At 2 1/2 she wanted to do everything herself. Still does at 6. She's been to the dentist recently and has healthy teeth with no cavities even tho she has often brushed her own teeth by herself from the very beginning.

It is so easy to get into a power struggle with toddlers and once the fighting and screaming gets going it's a difficult battle to get out of but it is important to find a way to make teeth brushing fun. Find a way to allow her to think she is doing it herself if that's the problem.

Barney does have a good video on brushing your teeth and the song is catchy. I could see how you could watch the video together, sing the song as each brushes their own teeth and then each brush the other's teeth. Whatever that makes it a game. My granddaughter still asks to brush my teeth every once in awhile. Yuk! It does hurt and feels awkward. I understand why she would rather brush her own.

And because my granddaughter has healthy teeth at 6 without having had consistent good tooth brushing I have relaxed a lot about brushing correctly.

Hi,
Im a general dentist that treats a lot of kids, but I also have a 2 year old. Since I have seen kids as young as 2 yrs old that have cavities, I am a heavy endorser of making sure that kids have their teeth brushed. My son doesnt like having his teeth brushed, but loves to have his teeth flossed. I also have a difficult time with his front teeth, top and bottom, so I need two hands to lift his lips and brush. So...I lay him down in front of me and put his head between my legs and his arms under my legs. So he is pinned down and I am able to brush effectively and quickly. He sometimes doesnt like it, but usually after a couple seconds he calms down.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck. It is a battle of the wills.

My son was the same way until he was 2 1/2 and now he lets me brush his teeth no problem. I think it's because brushing the upper teeth is awkward that they tend to freak out. My son is still a little leary about it but a lot better.

Hi! I have a 22month old son and 3 1/2 year old daughter and they both do the same thing! We do the same routine every night but my son always does it and my daughter is outgrowing that phase a liitle bir now but she really fought it too for a long time. They have been to the dentist three times and they have perfect teeth, so its just a control stage.

My oldest had stiches in his chin when he was about 18 months old and has had a fear of people over or around his face since. Obviously laying in the chair with people leaned over him was not comfortabel for him and it was a struggle we did alitlle at a time and tried not to push him too much at a time... but it took its toll on the rest of us. He is now 10 and has been cooperative with the dentist since about 4 or 5 and it just got better even before that, so I can only tell you that she will grow out of it..but I would suggest not leading up to it with alot of anxiety and conversation. Just go and deal with the three minutes it will take and when its over it over. We did this cuz it seemed trying to explain don't be afraid just made it worse. Or will she chew on the brush on her own. Good luck B. 33 with 3 boys 10, 7, and 2. Whew... lol

My son was the same way until we started making funny noises with him while brushing. We'll usually go ahhhhh ahhhhh and then eeeee eeeee (to get the top 2 teeth). It worked. The other thing that helped is letting him brush MY teeth while I brush his.

she will out grow it dont worry.

My son (18 mo.) also hates us to brush his teeth. We got a cartoon showing kids brushing along with a song, so now we're able to sing that song to him while brushing and he's more patient. As to the dentist, we took him last week for his first appointment. Complete waste of time at this age. Dentist just had him sit in the chair and did not even look in his mouth because my son was anxious. Dentist said there isn't really a need to have an actual exam until 3-4 yrs, although when I called to set up the appointment it was recommended that children have their first trip to the dentist at 1 yr. My advice, keep the appointment for your own peace of mind and to get your daughter used to the dentist office. But don't expect too much in the visit. Good luck!

My kids love to brush their teeth but my parents had a hard time with my little brother, they tried this new agent blue (it shows the kids where they need to brush my turning the dirty spots blue) anyways they turned it into a game and he is so excited to brush his teeth now, they even do it to there mouths and have races to get the blue off. hope this helps good luck!!

A.,

I have a 25 month old son who is similar. It is only the front teeth that he doesn't like getting brushed as well. I don't think it actually hurts them but I think it just is a really weird feeling and they don't like it. I don't have any answers or advice for you because I am in the same situation, but I just thought it might make you feel a little better knowing that your daughter isn't the only one. Sorry I can't help any...the only encouragement I have for you is I really don't think that it hurts them and hopefully they will eventually grow out of it.
Good Luck at the dentist office.
B.

A.,
My daughter just turned two yesterday and when she was about 22 months, she did the exact same thing except she would say, "Owie" when we brushed her bottom teeth. This went on for about one month. We just tried to not brush so hard in that spot. She still fought us on it, but we just kept telling her that we were almost done and then she could do it. All of a sudden she just stopped and now has no problem with us brushing any of her teeth. The teeth next to her bottom teeth popped up right around the same time she complained, so I'm thinking maybe her gums were sensitive. Hope this helps.

Who ever came up with the expression "terrible twos" should be slapped! It should be called the first stage of the terrible tots!!! She's normal!!! You are on the right track of brushing with her, but maybe instead of Daddy starting the proccess, maybe she should. Get your brushes ready together, get down to her level, or get a chair to lift her to yours. You brush slowly so she can watch your strokes and copy! Then when you are done brushing, ask her, "can I check yours to make sure you got it all?" praise when she does good and praise good effort when they're not as clean as they should be! Good luck!
~A.

i just let my kids have a dry toothbrush they chew on constantly. also try having her brush yours so she feels like it is more of a game than a chore. she is just starting to express her individuality a little and the tasks are going to be greater from hair combing and other hygeine to getting dressed. it is all normal and will end eventually. i have three kids and have been through this a thousand times.

OH YES, I am freaking out right now because, I noticed that my daughter had discoloration on her four front teeth, well first it was on ONe tooth, then I saw it on another and I knew that it was probably cavities, then I noticed after I made an appt it went away. My kid HATES when we go to brush her teeth but I was so scared that the discoloration would spread to other places.

Anyway, my instincts were correct and she has cavities on her four front teeth, even one I was told would need a crown because it is SO BAD. I brush her teeth and all that but I think the culprit was that we were using teh bottle and that was her security blanket. ANyway, she does TERRIBLE with all doctor visits.

Make sure you take her to a pediatric dentist....they are VERY GOOD with my kid, she cried but she calmed down enough fr them to clean her teeth and provide flouride treatment...

There is one in Fed way who is awesome and another in Bellevue who is awesome and I have gone to both (One for inital exam and secnd one for second opinion to fix cavity stricken teeth)

Luckily my 15 month old does not have any cavities at this time and I am now going to brush their teeth no matter how bad they scream and cry about it. OH also if you go in, ask about when they can put sealants on your daughters molars, TRUST ME that will help keep the cavities away!!

Good luck to you

S.

my two year old hates brushing her teeth, or rather me brushing them for her. the first dentist i saw said that it's probably because her frenulum on her top teeth is sensitive and he recommended a frenectomy. that seemed a little much so we didn't do that. we moved and the second dentist we saw said we shouldn't do that because her front teeth will crowd.

anyway, bottom line for my daughter is that she just doesn't like me doing it and wants to do everything herself. tough cookies tho because i don't want her to get cavities. she's already got some stains on her front teeth.

as for not brushing, you're rolling the dice. some people just naturally have better teeth but if your child is missing enamel anywhere, you're certainly going to have cavities. my eldest was born missing some enamel on her front teeth. she started getting these lines on her teeth so we went to the dentist and he put on the same stuff they fill cavities with. they just painted it on and put on the blue light. i didn't have much trouble brushing her teeth. once i got her to make faces so i could get her to open how i needed her to, it was pretty easy. we made her 'scare' us by going 'grrr' to get her to close her jaw and singing 'ahh' to get her to open up.

don't know if that helps you, but that was my experience. good luck!

Hi A. my name is L. and I am a 25 yr old mother of two beautiful boys,and my girls due in June. About the teeth issue my son had a similar incident like that when he was barely turning 3. I ended up finally taking him to a dentist, cause like you I was tired of the wrestling 3x a day. He said my son had low enamel and that his teeth were just to sensitive. So we had to go through 4 procedures to fix the issue until his grown up teeth come in, and now when his teeth get sensitive the dentist gave us a special sock you put on your hand and brush the teeth w/ it, it works great!! By the way I use Dr.Michael Delaney and have for 5.5 yrs and I love him and his staff. It's a good thing you made an appt. I hope things go well at you appt. and that it's nothing to big. Hope this info is a little helpful, or useful. Are you using a toddler toothbrush w/ soft brissels?

My son is 2 1/2 and about 6 months ago started crying and biting his finger as if his teeth hurt. we took him to the dentist and he was having a blast with the tech as she cleaned his teeth with the "tickler" and the yummy flavored paste. It wasnt until she got out a brush to show us how to clean his teeth at home that he lost it. He was completely hysterical. I will be honest and admit that while we let him chew on his toothbrush on a regular basis we gave up actually brushing his teeth because of this same hysteria. It completely threw the tech for a loop because he had been so good the whole visit. We went home dedicated to cleaning his teeth but after a week of screaming, crying, and chasing him around we are back to letting him do it himself. The dentist didnt find anything to indicate sours or any reason for pain. I have decided he has sensitive teeth as I know some people do and just gently coax and demenstrate proper cleaning through example and encouragment. I would recomend a dental visit (we found one that just did children) as most regular visits are covered 100% by insurence just to rule out any problems. You are not the only one though! Good luck- Jen

Personally I think we, as a society, have gone a bit overboard on the whole cleanliness thing but to each their own. We never pushed the teeth brushing until about age 4, and our oldest has clean and healthy teeth and didn't start seeing a dentist until age 4. If your child doesn't eat lots of veggies and fruits (raw if possible) then I would push the teeth brushing issue but not to the point of misery because if you take it to that point you could create a life long dislike of dental hygiene. If she eats pretty healthy I would back off of the teeth brushing a bit and try to make it a once in a while thing,like when she eats sweets. The more you push it the more she hates it so I'd back off if I were in your shoes. If she sees you and your husband do it she will eventually want to do what you do, it's natural.

That's my two cents on the issue.