Difficulty Cleaning/Brushing 18 Months Old Teeth

Hi M.,

Yes, brushing teeth is not always easy. My 29 month old has come around now, but in the beginning it was very difficult. Some things that work for us:

1) Call Elmo - Free Phone Call From Elmo About Tooth care! Call 1-866-356-6847 to get this freebie.

2) Let him brush his teeth, then let him brush your teeth while you brush his. Say "ahhhh" and "eeee" when your mouth is open and closed respectively to make a game out of it.

3) Buy him an electric toothbrush - we got our son one of these from Santa ($6 at target) and now I can't get him to STOP brushing his teeth! He loves it!

Good luck!
J.

This may seem extreme...but it does work. I was told about this from a mom who got it from her brother, who is a dentist. I've needed to use it with my 4th child--the first 3 all cooperated with tooth brushing.

Sit down on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Lay your son down on the floor with his head between your legs, his legs running along between your legs. If you need to hold him down, fold your legs gently over him.

In this position you will be able to push his jaw to open his mouth with one hand, and use the other hand to brush his teeth.

Try to be as playful as you can about this...but in the end, getting teeth brushed is the important thing.

I have 3 munchkins and my oldest is 4. We've had different tooth brushing strategies over the years - basically whatever worked at the time...I try to start with the brush around the time those first teeth pop out. Usually at some point they decide they need to play with the brush too. Sometimes they wouldn't give me a turn so we got a second brush and brushed while they chewed and played - we had them designated so the actual brushing brush wasn't all chewed up. My 8 month old just started with a brush and likes the baby toothpaste. She's very intreged by the feel of the brush. My nearly 2 and 4 year olds brush first and then we take a turn to be sure all of the teeth get brushed. We have always followed the same pattern for brushing so they are actually pretty good at trying to do so also. If we are in a hurry, I will let my 4 year old do it herself.

Lol I remember this stage :) My son has a gag reflex so he wasnt convinced that brushing his teeth was important. He refused but the older he got the easier it became. I would let him pick out one of those cool spinny tooth brushes and his own toothpaste. Also the kid mouthwash worked well with him. Maybe read a book about brushing his teeth?

If you can't brush his teeth then try teaching him how to rinse his mouth out. Another suggestion would be to give him water at bed time instead of milk. I started taking my girls to the dentist when they were 2 yrs old. At first it's just a fun visit, they look at the teeth, but usually don't try to clean them. they show the child around the office, show them how to "brush" with special stuffed animals with really big teeth...and your child gets to know his dentist. There is a really great Peds dentist group right here in the Monroeville area...they also have offices in Pittsburgh and Trafford. My kids have been going there since we moved to PA in 2000 if you would like more information email me!!

Are you using the finger toothbrush that massages his gums? My son gave me a hard time even with that until I let him do it himself one day...with me standing right there to help. He did it himself for awhile..of course, I would help him finish up. After awhile, we moved up to the toothbrush and he didn't give me a hard time at all.

I had difficulty with getting my daughter to brush her teeth for the longest time. I now keep 3 toothpaste varieties (Shrek, Little Bear, Disney Princess) and 3 toothbrush options (electric Dora toothbrush -$5., one that has a blinking light on the bottom which doubles as a timer -Target 2-pack for $2, and a plain purple toothbrush.) Each evening I let her pick her toothbrush and then her toothpaste. I also give her the choice of brushing her teeth together (we both hold the toothbrush) or letting me do all the work. I think giving her lots of choices makes her feel empowered and most evenings she goes along with it. I'd also say try it before tubby and if it doesn't work try again after tubby, or after the book,etc. Good luck!!

Our 20-month-old son started doing much better after my husband brushed the dog's teeth in front of him. Now we say, "It's time to brush your teeth like Daddy brushes Oscar." Of course this strategy would only work if you have a dog who doesn't mind having his teeth brushed! ;)

If all else fails, you could also try Swiffees. They are flavored tooth wipes with Xylitol, which is an ingredient in baby/toddler toothpaste that keeps the bateria from adhering to the teeth and thus helps prevent decay. I used them when my son's teeth were coming in and he was nursing at night. You can get them online, and I believe some natural food stores carry Xylitol products.

I had a friend whose son hated anyone touching his mouth unless he'd give them permission. By the time he was five I mamnged to get him to let me look in his mouth becuase I thought I saw cavities. When I did it was full of cavities. I told her and this is when I found out that she was not brushing his teeth becuase she didnt want to force him.
Cavities can be dangerous if left so don't worry if you have to force him.
This is what I have done with my kids when every other option to encourage them has failed, so its a last resort, and it has worked. I try to brush their teeth and if they protest I tell them briefly why they need to brush their teeth and ask again for tehm to let mummy do it. If they refuse I tell them they can either open their mouths and let mummy brush their teeth or she can force them to brush their teeth.
If they still refuse then I gently sit over them to hold their head still and arms down and i have to squezze their mouth while i quckly brush their teeth. By this time they are very upset and crying. I snuggle with them and tell them how sorry I am that I had to do that and it makes me sad. I ask them if next time they will open their mouths for mummy and they agree. I've only had to do this a couple of times with each kid as they hate it anb learn its easier to just open their mouths.
I've done this and my kids still love me and have no cavitites. Also we use electric toothbrushes which helps.

this is what i did maybe it will help u , i went out and brought tooth brushes that played music and i also got tooth paste that had taste like bubble gum and stuff like that . try to make it fun for him and he will do it! try it if u haven't :) .

I have heard that some kids can be motivated by something as simple as a toothbrush with their favorite character on it (or let him pick a new toothbrush.) When our son, who is now 20 months now, began to resist toothbrushing, we introduced a step stool in the bathroom so he could see himself. When that was no longer exciting, I would sing his favorite song. Now I count, sing or anything silly/fun. I also let him "help" by putting it away or let him brush (finishing)... Good luck!

We say to our 16 month old, "It's time to tickle your teeth" She laughs and opens up for us. Granted I don't how well her teeth are getting brush, but it's better than nothing. You could always start a reward chart with stickers too. The more stickers he earns, he can get a small prize.

You know how the doctor says when they don't have teeth clean there gums with a wash rag and some warm water to remove the build up of formula, try that it will take the film that produces on there and clean them, cause kids are not supposed to have toothpaste yet anyways or add some of the baby toothpaste to it, the flavor might help. He may be afraid of the brush itself and don't like the way it feels. I had luck i started brushing my daughters teeth when the first ones appeared and have had no problems since, she loves her teeth brush. Even her first visit to the dentist went extremely well she let the dentist clean and floss her teeth like shes been doing it for years (my daughter is 3) Good luck, and he will get used to it with time.

have u tried just giving him the toothbrush and letting him chew on it? there is another product that i used to use it was a finger toothbrush,, it massages gums too.. u put it on u'r finger and put it in u'r child's mouth they love chewin on it and u can brush or massage his gums and teeth.. also make sure he gets some water after the milk before bed. i'm including a link to the product i'm talkin about.. hope this helps,, good luck http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=46517&...

Hubby and I had the SAME problem with our 28 month old, I was watching supernanny last week and she gave me the BEST idea...I stand her in front of my dresser mirror so she can see herself and she gets so excited she opens her mouth and lets me brush her teeth sometimes we sing this is the way we brush our teeth...and then I allow her to brush them herself and she is actually doing the right way now! =) Give it a shot!

My kids are good about it now but also didn't want to brush their teeth at first. One of the methods I tried with some success was to put them in their highchairs, put toothpaste on a toothbrush and let them play with it. I would model for them on myself. They eventually would try it on their own.

Now they like the flavored toddler toothpaste and fun brushes - crayola, cartoon characters. They also know two songs that reference brushing teeth that I think helped them get interested - one is by Raffi and the other is by Laurie Berkner (it is about fish but they brush their teeth in one part). My neices and nephews like those new toothbrushes that play popular songs - called "tooth tunes" or something like that.

Sometimes when the kids are sick and fussy I use a washcloth to wipe their teeth and gums.

Will your son drink water? If all elese fails, maybe give him water instead of milk before bed or a little bit of water after the milk to help rinse out his mouth. Good luck!

I would also say just use a warm rag for know. keep trying different brushes till you find one they like. my denist said 3 yrs old they should start and if they allow you to do it great if not then just use the rag three times a day. my kids all ended up with perfect smiles.good luck let us know what happens

Hi M.,
It's a hard job to get most kids to brush their teeth. I would try to do it more than once a day and get them as good as you can in one minuet each time. Make a chart with your son and for each time he gets his teeth brushed give him a sticker. After so many times give him a little gift or what ever you feel he should get. Also, DO NOT give him milk or juice of any kind before bed or drinks like that will damage his teeth. Give him water only before bed. If he doesn't like water then nothing. After a few nights he will take the water if nothing else is offered. His teeth are very important at this stage. If he gets teeth that decay so early not only can he damage his adult teeth but all the pain he will have to deal with at such a young age. Getting him to go to the dentist will never be fun. Good Luck.

This should already be part of the routine, that is one mistake. You should use the baby toothpaste that you can just rub on and massage the gums good. You will have all kinds of trouble with his teeth if you don't. Once you have him used to that on a routine, you can move him up to a baby toothbrush. He probably won't mind the finger in his mouth as much as a toothbrush right now. His sippy cup should have water in it before bed. I don't think it's good to get a child used to all the protein before bedtime, it's a bad habit.