Tooth Brushing

[mother of 2]

My 3 year old hates brushing her teeth. Every night she puts up a protest. She occassionally lets us brush her teeth without tooth paste, but she is getting really smelly breath. What can I do? Are there any natural methods or natural tooth pastes to get rid of her mouth odour?

Any advise appreciated!

 

[Sleuth]

The odor is most likely caused by bacteria on the tongue, so you'll need to brush the tongue. They also make (in the US anyway) tongue scrapers for this issue. Sometime they come on the backside of the tooth brush.
They also make all sorts of mouth wash, but the trick would be to make sure your child spits it out.
Failure to brush teeeth for years will cause bigger problems than bad breath.

 

[joannek]

have you tried brushing teeth all together jammed in the bathroom above the bathtub. and after brushing teeth, make a water spitting contest on the tub? if he doesn't brush his teeth, no spitting contest. it worked with my daughter.

 

[carang]

that sounds like fun joannek!

 

[Sleuth]

have you tried brushing teeth all together jammed in the bathroom above the bathtub. and after brushing teeth, make a water spitting contest on the tub? if he doesn't brush his teeth, no spitting contest. it worked with my daughter.

Our LO learned the same way (minus the spitting). He was just in the bathroom when mommy and daddy brushed their teeth and was dying to be like a big person. We let him hold our toothbrushes whilst we brushed our teeeth so he would get a sense of what we were doing. I would say he has been brushing his own teeth since he has had them; maybe before because he liked to chew on the brush. We have to do a little spot cleaning after, but he likes to put the brush in his mouth and move it around.

 

[carang]

funny, you should say that... my son puts the toothbrush in his mouth, then moves his head instead!! it's hilarious to watch! i'm afraid that he's going to make himself dizzy one day and fall off his step (that goes up to the sink)

 

[joannek]

it's my mom's idea. it's amazing how much my mom's been teaching me about being a mom!!

 

[capital]

We got one of those spinning toothbrushes, that renewed interest for awhile. Also he has to do everything himself first, then I get my turn at his teeth. It has always been this way, he used to fight it esp. around 1.5 to 2 years, but not an issue anymore. If he doesn't cooperate, I hold him down and brush his teeth, which he hates, so it rarely happens that I neeed to do that. In our house this is a battle that he newver has a choice on, like riding in the car seat, so he has quickly learned fighting it doesn't work.

 

[tzechuk]

Sigh... I wish my DD learned that fighting doesn't work, capital. She hates having her teeth brushed and puts up a battle each and every single time. I've tried everything from buying her character toothbrushes to an electric toothbrush to different flavour toothpastes. NOTHING works. It's always a struggle. We have to force her, which of course upsets her and I am a little afraid of forcing it on her so much (but we do force) so that she becomes totally against the idea of brushing!

 

[joannek]

tzechuk, how old is your DD? small child usually likes to imitate what adults are doing, if she's seen you brush your teeth, she will also like to imitate & do it with you. have you checked her teeth or gums, maybe there's sth wrong & it hurts when she brushes her teeth? maybe that's why she's resisting brushing so much?

my cousin was 4 when she would resist brushing her teeth & every morning & night it'll be a big scene in her house cos she wouldn't brush her teeth. it turned out her front teeth were rotten and her gums were infected. when her teeth were pulled out, she was willing to brush her teeth.