What are other moms daily dental care routines for their young toddlers? How often do you brush their teeth? Do you use any kind of toothpaste? I just have been using a rubber toothbrush since he has had four teeth. Now he has ten, and since he eats so much more different kinds of foods I'm worried I need to step up daily brushing or start using a brush with actual bristles. I try to brush every morning first thing, and every night during bath time, but sometimes I do forget and skip brushing. Has anyone taken their baby to the dentist yet and what was that experience like?
So I tried giving him some orajel toothpaste and ever since then he has not been very amenable to brushing his teeth. He'll let me do it for just a quick 10 seconds and then he refuses to open his mouth for me. What do I do now??
I was brushing my kids' few teeth right away (twice a day) and used regular toothpaste. I made it very clear to them that they could not eat the toothpaste. I also brushed their teeth fairly quickly so they wouldn't swallow the toothpaste - with such few teeth it was quick enough.
M.
My son is 13 months; we have been trying to make brushing a nightly habit since he was 6 months or so. He used to love it, then he went through a period of hating it, and now he's okay with it again. Like another mom said, we have tried different places to see where it is most convenient. Becasue he woudl get a bottle after his bath and before bed, i used to make it right after the bedtime story and would keep it by the rocking chair in his room. But then he got too antsy to even sit through a short board book, much less brush his teeth. My husband and I both have oral-b electric spinning toothbrushes that he is fascinated by. You can't get ones that actually SPIN for a one year old (too rough on their gums) but at babies r us we found a little baby-sized VIBRATING toothbrush that is blue and white jsut lik eour big ones, and makes the sound. He love sit and he and dad have that as part of their bathtime routine (we now give the last milk BEFORE the bath so that the bathtime toothbrushing works). He doesn;t do a great job of actually BRUSHING though, he just likes to hold it in his mouth while it vibrates and clamp down on it, I htink it feels good on those new teeth coming in. But hey, it's starting the habit anyway. I havent' tried toothpaste with him yet, after what other moms said I will give that a try!
Hi B. , I have 2 sons 3 1/2 and a 2 yr old . The boys get thier teeth brushed twice a day in the morning and in the evening after thier last cup of milk , they tend to challenge me in the morning but as another mom said ( they have no choice) My oldest went to the dentist when he was about 2 yrs becasue he hit is face and I thought he broke a tooth . Hes Preds dentist recommends seeing kids after they hit 1 yrs old . Now my 2nd son went as early as 9 mnths becasue he had a mouth full of teeth and did great.
I recommend letting your son pick his own tooth brush but use non Floride tooth paste ( like Orajel's 0-24mnths) let him attempt to brush his own teeth , then you take over to make sure every area of his mouth his covered . Im not sure what area your from but our peds dentist is located at Harlem and Talcott , if you would like his name just e-mail me at ____@____.com and I wil be more then happy to give you his info . He is rally good with the boys and he gave me alot of useful info as well .
Good luck
K.
My daughter recently turned 2. We began morning and evening brushing probably around 12 months. She loves to brush her teeth. We made it a very fun thing and she does a decent job at it though I go over her teeth one more time before we are done. In the morning she gives me a hard time so sometimes in the morning we'll skip it or do it after breakfast. We use the same as the other posters, the baby orajel toothpaste that doesn't contain flouride. About a month ago we took her to a pediatric dentist and all was well. I thought of taking her to my dentist but I'm very glad I chose a pediatric dentist. I think she would have been scared to death of mine but she somewhat enjoyed her first dental visit because it was so kids oriented. If you would like a referral let me know, I'm not sure where your located, ours is in Frankfort.
We brush our 17 month old's teeth every night after his bath as part of his bedtime routine and he won't let us forget - he really enjoys it. Since he got his first tooth at about 3 months, we've used an Oral-B stages toothbrush that the dentist recommended and the Oral-B stages fluoride-free toothpaste for babies and toddlers. We first brush his teeth as best as he'll let us (which is pretty good), and then always let him finish up - he mostly chews on the brush and sucks the toothpaste, but I think that the idea of getting him in the habit and practicing his fine-motor skills by handling the toothbrush himself is really the most important part. Then he "rinses" by drinking water from a cup, which has been a useful way to get him to learn that skill, too.
My sister-in-law whose son is the same age brushes her kids' teeth twice a day. I think that for now, once is enough for us. Like I said, establishing the habit is the most important thing for us. Our dentist said to bring him in for the first visit when we feel he can sit still in the chair. That won't be for a while, but at least I know his teeth are getting daily attention.
I brush my toddler's teeth in the morning and at bedtime. She still hates it, but she has no choice. I use Orajel's Toddler Toothpaste. If they swallow it there is no harm (unlike Floride toothpaste).
You can find it in the toothbrush aisle at Walmart or any store, and it's on the bottom shelf. You will also find toddler toothbrushes nearby, as well. I haven't taken her to the dentist yet.
I agree you need to step up the brushing routine. Make sure she has nothing after her nighttime brushing, like milk or juice. This can pool in her mouth overnight and eventually cause cavities.
We all occasionally skip nighttime brushing, either because it's late or she is very cranky and tired. As long as you can do it most days.
My 3 yr old got her first cleaning at 2 1/2...we have been using children's toothpaste with floride at 18mo..only a pea size once a day and the kind with no floride the other time.
We brush twice a day and the Easter Bunny brought them electric tooth brushes, they were 2 bucks at target and the love them!
We started brushing when he got teeth.
We brush at the least once a day but it is hard to remember. I have been putting the brush/toothpaste in various locations to decide where I can be the most consistent. I tried the changing table, by the highchair, and the bathroom. I think I am sticking to the bathroom.
We use a toothbrush (for toddlers) and you can use any toothpaste that doesn't contain fluoride. They all have ages on them so that will help.
We haven't gone to the dentist yet so I can't speak to that.
We started taking our daughter to the dentist at 18 months only because I have a very bad dental history and I wanted to make sure she started off the right way. I think they recommend the first visit be at 2.
We brush every morning after breakfast to get rid of any food particles, and then again right before bed. We started using a toothbrush at 18 months so she was used to it and she does a great job of brushing now. We used the toddler toothpaste(no Floride)(spelling)until she was 3 and would spit it out then we switched to normal kid toothpaste. Once they spit it out you can switch to the Floride toothpaste.
