My Son Hates His Teeth Getting Brushed!!

My daughter is 28 months old, and she is just now getting the hang of "brushing" her teeth. She has loved a tooth brush she was teething, but didn't have the technique. I bought a finger brush, and told her we were going to play the tooth game, so I brush her teeth, a couple of times she has bitten down hard on my finger, but overall during th game i get to clean her teeth, then i give her a toothbrush, she has a couple with her favorite characters on them, and then she does the final clean up, as we call it. It is working out really well, and she is learning to brush.

Try going back to keeping them clean with a soft cloth(like a cloth diaper. He may have sensitive gums.
D.

Have you tried a musical toothbrush? It helped with our son when he was small.

A.-
I can't beleive some of the responses...my 3rd son is 22 mos old and he also does NOT like having his teeth brushed..let me ask you this- does he have any other signs of sensory intolerances? (dislike sunlight, car rides or crowds, food textures?- the feeling of tags or grass under his feet? anything sensory?) if so - having a toothbrush in your mouth- does not feel good- it is a disturbing feeling- my first son has sensory problems and so does my third- it's so bad that he clenches his mouth around the toothbrush-He wants to brush his teeth- coz he points to it- but it does not feel good to him. I try to do it fast and sing ABC's or his favorite song..BUT there is also occupational therapy that can help him if he does have sensory problems...you can go gthru babies cant wait or a private OT, PT that specializes in children.
Your doing the right thing by keeping trying- I still get it out every night and try to open his mouth and sing songs and just do it real fast- but I'm also in the process of having him evaluated thru babies cant wait.
He is actually starting to get used to it - if this gives you a light at the end of the tunnel.
Good LUck
Nikki

My daughter only wanted to brush her teeth forever. Well, then I took a toothbrush like hers and brushed my teeth and showed her what to do-- of course they don't really do it. Well, I would say- Let me show you. If that does not work, then say, let me count your teeth. Brush fast. and say- let me see your tongue. Then brush it. Ask did it tickle? Don't try to take the brush or force it. It will only get worse. He is ok. Chewing on the toothbrush is ok too. Now, I count my daughter's teeth and say-- oh no, i can't see your tongue. She knows I will brush too. And I PRAISE.
Or say- I will brush one time and you brush one time. This is also what we do. IT works.
Good luck.

We found a tooth brush that lights up for as long as you are supposed to brush. I just hum fast "diddys" to him while I brush, kinda like we are racing to brush his teeth before the light goes off. Works like a charm cause he hates it too.
Before that I pretended to be tickling his teeth.

I bought my daughter one of the battery powered ones. She loves to brush her teeth with it and I figure it is doing more scrubbing than a regular one. After she is done, I tell her let's tickle your teeth and she is much more receptive. It doesn't always work but some is better than none.

What worked for my sons 5 1/2 and 3 is to say WOW what is that in your mouth? An elephant, monkey cat etc. and they have to open wide enough to get the elephant out because he is so big and you make the noises that the animals would make. This worked for my oldest so I tried it on my 3 year old who did not like to open his mouth for brushing. They really enjoy all the fun of choosing the animal you will brush out chasing it all around the mouth and then rinse into the sink. If you have an older child, it might work best to try it on them first in front of the little sib.

I had the same problem with my son who is now almost 4. His dentist said to lay him down on the couch or bed, lean over him and brush his teeth. It was a stuggle at first but now he is ok with me doing it. Sometimes I sat down and had him in my lap and sometimes I put him down and leaned over him. The result was the same. He cried and I was able to brush them. If he clamped his mouth shut then I squeezed his cheeks to open them or I put my fingers in his mouth and opened them myself. The dentist is going to tell you the same thing. Now I tell him to make certain sounds and he opens his mouth the way I want him too. Ahh is to open wide. EEE is to brush his front teeth, and so on. It take practice but your child will get it sooner or later. Good luck!

My daughter is the same age and we are having the same issues. I don't fight often and let her 'brush' her own teeth - this consists of chewing the toothbrush and sucking off the toothpaste. We let her choose her own brush - and she loves her Elmo toothbrush and is excited to go and brush her teeth. To me this was more important then getting it right at this age.

We also tried I brush her teeth while she brushes mine. Doesn't always work but I have had success. When I really need to brush her teeth I try while she is in the tub, she loves the tub and is usually more receptive. Worst case I have DH hold her upside down and brush really fast.

i hate to tell you, but it doesn't always get better...my kids also hate brushing...but what i used to do was to give them the brush first, let think they're doing it, and then say it's mommy's turn...and i go over them again...it is usually a struggle with my three year old...and i tell her if she doesn't do it, i'll do it for her...and then she'll usually do it herself. good luck!

you could try an electric toothbrush. crayola makes one with a small enough head. my daughter had to have one like her brother and she doesn't fight me anymore.

My son was also one who didn't like his teeth brushed and would do the same thing with his mouth. My dentist said to let him chew on the tooth brush and to let him try to brush our teeth. He now loves to brush his teeth. It took some getting use to it. He is now 3. The dentist also gave him a round baby tooth brush to keep with him in the day to play with. He would brush the teddy bears mouth.Good luck. Don't give up.
N.

They have these little finger tooth/gum brushes that you can get from Babies R Us. I would get one of those and let him use his finger on his teeth first and then you go over them with that finger brush. Good Luck!

My son was the same way. I tried dicipline but it just made it worse. I bought a second brush and now he does it himself while I brush mine (he tries to imitate me). Then I say "My turn". He is fine with me brushing them after he gets a turn. It is still a struggle but we get though it. Be consistant. If you dicipline him, he will learn to hate it.

You're doing fine. My son was the same way. He did great when Daddy wanted to do it but not so great for mommy. What helped... letting him sit on the sink and see himself in the mirror and see mommy next to him doing the same thing. I wouldn't say anything. I would just brush slowly and he would imitate on his own. If you're not feeding your child tons of sugary products, don't worry about his technique. Don't forget the praise. My son is six and he loves it when I brush his teeth for him because we're in a hurry. No problem flossing either. My daughter is three now and she thinks it's a play activity to brush our teeth. We sometimes do it five times a day. I never say no even though I do get sick of having to clean up after her, LOL! The other thing that got my son to open up about brushing was being able to spit water into the sink. Good Luck!

I have a 16 month old son with the same problem. I bought us matching toothbrushes which he got to pick out at the store, and he likes when we sit on the floor together and brush our teeth. He also likes to chew on the brush but his technique isn't very good and he doesnt like me to brush for him. One thing that helps is I tell him I'm going to tickle his teeth then I make a silly tickling noise like I do whenever I tickle him. If nothing else the laughing makes him open his mouth for a few seconds so I can get a couple swipes of the brush over his teeth. Good luck! This is a daily struggle for us too!!

It's ok that he chews on it, he is only 18 months old and you aren't going to be able to reason with him about it either. And chewing on it is bettet than nothing at all!! What I found that worked well for my son is he has 2 tooth brushes. One for him and one for me. He gets to "brush" with his first for a bit then I get a turn with my brush. I would also brush his teeth while his older sister or I were in there too. Now he does a little bit more on his own that looks like brushing but I still get my turns!!

And remember, if you force him on this and make a big fight over it, it might end up as something he dislikes and will always fight you on it no matter how old he is!!

Good luck!
S.

Sounds pretty normal to me. I just got a second toothbrush. And even though it's still not perfect, they will gum on it and it does help with the teeth some. It will get better. I really wouldn't worry over that too much.

Try handing him his toothbrush while he sits in his high chair. Chewing on his brush will help clean his teeth. Toothpaste is not required to get the teeth clean so just let him play/ chew on brush when seated. Also, I am a dental hygienist. I talk to kids about the 'yuckies' in their mouths. My son loves this. I pretend as though I see a 'yucky' in his mouth and play like it is running around and I have to 'catch' it with his toothbrush. He gets so tickled while waiting to see if I catch that little yucky, we are all finished by the time he is tired of sitting.
You may also try singing some kind of little song with your child just to be silly and keep his mind off it.
It is good if you can let him try to brush for himself...again, no toothpaste required. Then, you come behind him and finish up.
Good luck to you!
K.

Hi A.,
I have an almost 2 and a half year old...I sing the A,B,C's with him while I brush his teeth...a friend of mine was doing that with her son and that has seemed to help us..
Hope this helps,
S.