# Alternatives for cleaning teeth



## grassisgreener1334 (Nov 24, 2006)

My 18 month old doesn't care much for having his teeth brushed. He often pushes my hand away and/or shakes his head from side to side. I'm worried that his teeth aren't getting cleaned enough because of this. Has anyone ever used something else that doesn't require brushing, like tooth soaps or certain types of foods (maybe apples)? I keep hearing horror stories about toddlers needing a ton of dental work done because their parents didn't stay on top of their brushing...I don't want this to happen to Quantum. Any advice is much appreciated!


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## dawncayden (Jan 24, 2006)

Teeth brushing is not a choice in our home. I used to think I would never do forced brushing, and that was before all ds's dental surgery, now I will brush those teeth as I don't want him to have to go back and have more surgery.

There are many games we do, and the games change often to keep it fresh, but if ds is really not in the mood, I give him the option of a 'game brushing' or mommy doing it with him lying down...he often won't want either, so I have to lay him down and brush them...I usually try to make it a game anyway, even though its a forced brushing...I'll try to tickle a foot with one hand while I'm brushing...or I'll look for mysterious animals to brush away.


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## Lia & Eva's Mama (Jul 10, 2007)

i have the electric oral b tooth brush and we all have a differen't color head. so even a little brushing removes more that a reg tooth brush.
i gave them the tooth brush long before they even had teeth, they loved it through teething. As they got older they refused to brush themselves or with help. i told the girls that food rots in you mouth if you don't brush and so i showed them a picture on the internet of rotted teeth, i told them that this is what happen's when we don't brush...they no longer fight me LOL! So now when they brush i say get waaay back where the carrots, peas,muffin etc etc is.
when the girls are done brushing is when i get a turn to see if any food is left on, so i'll say oh you missed a spot, oh here's more of carrots, peas etc etc.


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## grassisgreener1334 (Nov 24, 2006)

I'll try lying down with him and making a game out of it tonight...sounds like a great idea, thanks!


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## Demeter9 (Nov 14, 2006)

This is probably one for the brave only.

If I cannot get them to allow me to brush their teeth, I give them my toothbrush and have them brush my teeth while I brush theirs.


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## dawncayden (Jan 24, 2006)

Our new thing that has worked for the last week is called 'Baby brushing' he lays down in a cradle hold, like I'm nursing and we look for crazy animals and brush them away 'oh my goodness there's a family of koala's back there, and a slippery snake up there...lets brush them away, oh he escaped, he's down there now, oh he's on your tongue...'


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## heatherweh (Nov 29, 2007)

Cute ideas! I saw a thread about this before where the mamas held their LOs upside down to brush or said "tickle your teeth". DS will SOMETIMES be interested in doing it if he can stand at the other sink next to me and do it as I do, but usually he isn't interested at all or just sucks all the tothpaste off, so we end up having to hold him down and do it while he screams, kicks, and cries. I HATE it and some nights just don't have the heart for it at all, but like pp said, i don't want him to have to go through oral surgery or even having a cavity filled if I can prevent it. Mommy holding him down to brush is hopefully less traumatic than that.

We have our first pediatric dental appointment tomorrow, so we'll see!


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## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

DD loves tiny things, so we make a big deal out of her "little baby toothbrush" and "little baby toothpaste" (a speck of Weleda children's). She doesn't fight it, but I usually have a hard time keeping her tongue out of the way!


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## mumkimum (Nov 14, 2006)

Before dd would go for a serious brushing, she loved using those kid's flossers. We'd just let her use them herself andsShe'd actually do an okay job and be flossing stuff out.

I'd also suggest spry tooth gel - it's probably better to use with a brush, but you could also just get a little in his mouth & having the xylitol would be a good thing for dental health & all that.


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## GoBecGo (May 14, 2008)

The alternative in my house is tooth decay, needles in the gum, the drill, fillings and pain. So i brush her teeth whatever she thinks.

Usually she is cool, she loves tooth time. Sometimes she fights and if she fights i get her to brush her teddy's teeth and then we do hers. Or i brush the zoo out of there. Or we "do dentist" where i slowly and carefully examine the teeth one at a time and need to "do cleaning" on each one. If she is fighting and nothing is working to get the task done with cooperation then i do it as quickly and gently as i can without it.


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## kdtmom2be (Aug 26, 2006)

So far so good here, no fighting at 14 months. If she won't open her mouth for me then daddy gets a turn! She never refuses to brush for daddy. He's managed to teah her to say "AHhhhhh" so he can get a good brushing in of the top teeth, the bottom ones are fairly easy. The only time she ever seems to clamp down on the brush is when she's teething.

Our secret? We started early. As someone else mentioned, we let her use a toothbrush as a teething toy so she was used to the feeling of the bristles. We also sing a short and easy song and once we're through it twice (once for top, once for bottom) then we're generally finished. Sometimes she hums along and bounces with the tune, very cute.


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## Cindy-Lou (Mar 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Demeter9* 
This is probably one for the brave only.

If I cannot get them to allow me to brush their teeth, I give them my toothbrush and have them brush my teeth while I brush theirs.

I think this would work for us. I'm going to try it tomorrow.


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## Mama2Bean (Mar 20, 2007)

I wiped DD's teeth starting when she started getting them at 4 1/2 mos. She's 19 mos now and hates it about half the time. The other half I can only sometimes get her molars, although she and I will both brush her other teeth, sort of. So starting early did not work for us. Ugh. But most days she will at least chew on the toothbrush, so I am hoping this is better than nothing. Games only work a little, but I did read some new ideas on this thread. Thanks!


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## milehighmonkeys (Apr 13, 2006)

We always let DD start out brushing her own teeth and then one of us "finishes up". That worked for us even though she often just chewed her toothbrush when she was doing it. I guess I didn't care as long as I got a turn in there.


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## Limabean1975 (Jan 4, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *QuantumMama* 
My 18 month old doesn't care much for having his teeth brushed. He often pushes my hand away and/or shakes his head from side to side. I'm worried that his teeth aren't getting cleaned enough because of this. Has anyone ever used something else that doesn't require brushing, like tooth soaps or certain types of foods (maybe apples)? I keep hearing horror stories about toddlers needing a ton of dental work done because their parents didn't stay on top of their brushing...I don't want this to happen to Quantum. Any advice is much appreciated!

Lots of great ideas here for how to bursh, but it sounds like you are looking for other ways to keep the teeth healthy too. I asked a similar question a while ago and was pointed to the Consensual Living Group on Yahoo - they have some great information about teeth care.


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## twobears (Jan 16, 2008)

Along with brushing we use spiffies tooth wipes. They come in grape, mango and apple flavors. No flouride in them just xylitol.


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## stacyann21 (Oct 21, 2006)

DS won't let me near him w/ a toothbrush. I wipe his teeth (thoroughly) with a wet washcloth in the bath instead. I do have to say "no biting" a lot







:


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## MamaTrisha (Jun 19, 2008)

I finally figured out how to stop the huge fight at our house, which she would usually win because I wouldn't hold her face and force her mouth open, and that was pretty much my only option.
I had to go get an infant tooth brush that you put on your finger tip. She liked the taste of the tooth paste that goes on that, so she will let me brush for a good while before she decides she has better things to do. It also helped that I told her that the tooth gel is candy.








Also, I let her touch my teeth, then asked her to let me touch her teeth. Then she got to touch daddy's teeth and so on. We made it out like teeth touching is a really cool, really special thing!
I also have a go at her teeth with a wash cloth any chance I get. She will occasionally swipe my tooth brush and try to brush her own teeth, but she doesn't want any part of having me brush them for her with a real tooth brush.


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## BabyHaysMama (Aug 7, 2007)

I was getting really tired of having to fight with DS about teeth brushing. We've tried a lot of different techniques but it always comes down to a fight. A Natural Parenting shop just opened in our area and the owner uses the Angel Toothbrush http://www.babyproofingplus.com/item2897.htm on her sons teeth. It's good from infant to 5 years old. I just picked one up yesterday. Hopefully it works as well as they say. But at least DS will be able to do it himself and I won't have to worry about pinning him down.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

We've always held the toddler/baby upside down and then brushed. DD2 is 20m and now when she sees the toothbrush she throws her head back and opens up.







DD1 had significant decay (10 caries) so not brushing throughly is also not an option.


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## dagnydagny (Dec 31, 2007)

I give her the toothbrush and let her do it herself. She's only got 6 teeth still, so it's not too bad. Twice a week I brush them myself, which she hates, and get them well-cleaned.


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