Hi ladies,
my daughter is 9 going on 10, and every single day we have to send her back to the bathroom sometimes 3 times to brush her teeth! I check them every day and either her mouth stinks, or there is still obviously plaque around her gum line.
We have bought her a fun toothbrush, that she picked out, it's electric. We have let her pick out a 'fun' toothpaste, tried minty ones, bubble gum ones, she doesn't complain about the toothpaste being the 'problem'. I have shown her good brushing techniques, she has gator flossers, the Act mouthwash stuff, we used the blueing stuff that highlights the plaque so she can see what needs to be brushed off, taught her to brush her tongue. I have started brushing her teeth for her again! We tried being nice about it so as not to hurt her feelings, but I started getting real with her and saying look... your mouth smells terrible and people are going to start making comments... I would rather you hear it from me than have kids at school make fun of you. Well, that has started. She's had two cavities (in baby teeth, so they've fallen out) - i've told her look, this is the only set of teeth you have... you better take care of them or they'll fall out. My father has a complete set of dentures because his family couldn't afford dental care when he was growing up, so we've tried to say 'see... that's what happens'. The dental hygenist has told her 'you need to brush better' - she goes every 6 months without fail, so we're getting her proper dental care. I've even gotten to the point where I am telling her 'look... you get another cavity and it is coming out of your savings!' I know that's harsh, and I don't know if i would actually do that (although I would let her think I did...), but I cannot get this to sink in, so I'm trying whatever I can to make this 'click' for her. nothing seems to be working... She is very lazy about brushing, and when I ask her about it she says 'it's just not fun... I dont like doing it' - i've responded, 'are fillings fun?' 'is it fun to have a mouth that smells like somebody just crapped in it?' and 'does everything need to be fun, in order to do it? homework isn't fun, cleaning the toilet isn't fun,... but it needs to be done'.
I need some very real advice from mom's who have gotten their kids over this...the traditional techniques are not working on her... this kid needs a serious wake up call. maybe she needs to see the affect bad brushing has on teeth over time... any good websites with deteriorating teeth? (or as Lisa Simpson from the Simpsons said... 'the big book of british smiles')
Thanks in advance! I know this is a tough one ;)
Thank you ladies!!
We have made a slideshow on powerpoint, and I've changed the background on her computer to show the latest disgusting mouth I can find on the internet. I actually pulled out my sonicare toothbrush after seeing some of the pics online of tooth decay. which got me thinking... we have ordered her, her very own sonicare for her bathroom. we still use a regular toothbrush for her tongue. The dentist has shown her good brushing, I have shown her good brushing, I make her brush for two cycles of the little sand timer the dentist gave her (so a total of 4 minutes). I hate to give in to her laziness, but the sonicare does a really good job of busting plague with very litte effort. i actually stopped using it during my pregnancy because it would hurt my gums (dentist said this is normal). I do have appt's for the kids to get their booster immunizations and will discuss with the doc any suggestions on the bad breath. Dentist said 'if her brushing/flossing improves, her breath will too'.
we'll see how the sonicare does - it sure makes my teeth feel like i just got a cleaning!
Thanks for all your ideas, and at the very least, I know my kid isn't the only one out there!
Have the dentist talk to her and show her what could happen with out proper brushing. Most schools cover this in grade school heath class.
She may have picked out the battery powered toothbrush but does she like it. If her gums are sore or her teeth hurt for some reason and battery powered toothbrush will hurt.
Good Luck
People have given you some good ideas, so I don't have much to add but this: Kids should brush their teeth for as long as a normal song on a CD runs. So get a CD player, have her put on her favorite song and brush until the song is over. Even if she isn't doing a great job, if she keeps at it longer her teeth will get cleaner. (I do think the bad breath thing you should address with your dentist next time you're there. My daughter (10) doesn't always brush well either, but the breath thing is never an issue. Just plaque.) Good luck!
J.,
I found a bunch of really disgusting pictures for you. http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=im...
I don't even want dinner after seeing them. And I most certainly will bump my own tooth brushing up to 3 or 4 times a day now :) At 10, you can still bribe her, right? Wait, I believe we're supposed to say "use incentives" now. My daughter is only 6, but she wasn't brushing very well either. We made a simple chart on a dry erase board. We got her the light up (I think they're called Firefly) toothbrush that times her brushing for a minute or 2 with a flashing light, so she knows how long to spend on them. We got her a step stool so she can get right up in front of the mirror to watch herself brush them, too. If she passes our "tooth check" test before bed on the first try, she gets to mark off another square. Now that she's a pro at it, she'll get a square taken back if she fails our check and falls back to lazier habits. There are 20 squares (which might take 20 days or over a month to pass through) for her to fill before getting her incentive. We let her choose the incentive for each chart. Right now, it's an American Girl Doll outfit she wants. She is getting SO MUCH better at brushing her teeth because brushing well is finally becoming a habit for her. We're on the end of our 3rd 20-square chart (we started right after Christmas), and we don't even have to hover and remind her while she's brushing anymore. When we first started, though, either my husband or I brushed our own teeth with her, just to set the example of how it does take a few minutes, but it's really not a big deal. During that first chart, she decided she wanted to use our regular tooth paste, mint listerine, and our dental floss - because "it looked fun" when she watched us do it. Now, after morning coffee, I'll get the comment, "Eeeww...go brush your teeth! Your mouth smells disgusting, Mom!" Yep, that's my girl. I know your daughter is older, but maybe trying something like this is worth a shot. At the very least, take her to that website and try to gross her out :) Good luck!
Hi, my daughter is the same age as yours and is not big on brushing her teeth either. I tell her if she doesn't brush them well enough, I brush them for her. The dentist told me to brush them for her if she can't do it and I have to say, this works. She hates when I brush her teeth, it makes her feel like a little kid and she'd rather do it herself. I also say "let me see your teeth" if I don't think she brushed well enough. And praise her to the roof when her teeth look good (oh wow, look how pretty your teeth look!). She still needs reminders to brush (especially on the weekends when there isn't our usual routine), but she is getting better. Keep at it, she'll come around.
