Toddler's Teeth - Saraland,AL

I just took my daughter to the dentist this year she is 4. i don't have to brush her teeth i got her one of the battier operated ones and she does it on her own i usually try to brush them at least once.They tell you to bring them to the dentist when they are 4

I just brush my 18-month-old's teeth once a day after she takes a bath at night. I think that since we are brushing their teeth at all is a step up from most parents. Good luck with that.

S., I work for a dentist so your in luck. You start to take your children to see a dentist preferably a pedidontist because they have more cool stuff than a regular DDS. Either though is fine. You start to take them when they start to get teeth. One tooth or five. It doesn't matter. I say to start early so they get the feel of the dental atmosphere and by the time it really counts to go around 2 years they are comfortable. Usually children under four only require yearly visits. After four they can start to have a relatively new product called "Fluoride Vanish" . It's a cream kinda that's the best way I can describe it, that they apply to the teeth and it sticks kinda like glue for a few hours helping prevent decay. Brushing twice a day is great but, once a day should do , the best time is around bed time. Try working it in as part of your bathing routine. My son is two and alot of the time I brush while he is in the tub. Other times I brush then, I let him. Find a song on the radio or on a cd that your child likes and brush until the song is over. It gives children a sense of time and how long to brush. Make sure your buying a children's toothpaste. They have "Stages" toothpaste that is fluoride free. At their age they don't know how to spit out the excess like adults do and fluoride to young children if too much is ingested can be poisionous. It can lead to "Fluorosis" which turns their teeth yellow. At your son's age you really need to brush or it can lead to "bottle mouth" which I don't want to scare you but, it basically rots out their baby teeth making their permanent teeth harder to come in normally. The baby teeth are like a guide to the permanent teeth on where to come in. Hope this helps I know it's long but, I felt it might help. Contact me with anymore questions. I hope I can help. My email is ____@____.com

I actually do make sure my 3 yr old brushes her teeth 2 times a day. I don't want to make you feel bad or anything, ('cause it seems you already feel a little guilty) but I think it's REALLY important. My understanding is that if the baby teeth get damaged, that can damage the gums and lead to problems with the permanent teeth. We made it part of our bedtime routine, so it's second nature now. Just before bed, my toddler goes potty and brushes her teeth. As for mornings, again... it's just part of getting dressed for us. If I wouldn't go without brushing my own teeth, my daughter shouldn't go without brushing hers.

My son is almost 22 months and I guess we have been brushing his teeth at night since he was about a year old. My son is extremely independent and has to do everything himself, which worked great for this. After his bath, while he is sitting on the counter and we are drying his hair we let him brush his own teeth, complete with toothpaste. He thinks he is so grown up. Once his hair is dry we simply tell him it is our turn. He usually hands over the toothbrush and opens wide. Maybe we are just lucky, who knows. We haven't worked our way up to twice a day yet, but some mornings he stands in the doorway and watches one of us brushing our teeth and will ask to do his, so we just hand him the toothbrush and he brushes while we do.

Good luck to you and don't worry too much about how many times a day you brush them. I commend you for brushing them at all at this age, I know several people who don't.

I brush his teeth at bedtime every night!!! No if's ands or buts... It has become part of the routine. The first trip to the dentist who is a pediatric dentist was at 2 years old, when we found out he had 8 major cavities that needed filling, which required sedation from not brushing his teeth and allowing a sippy cup at night. Regardless of the fight he may put up at first, I have found that when they're screaming for you not to brush, they have their mouth open and you can get to the teeth better. With time he should become accepting that this is something he has to do regardless of the fit he may throw. Good Luck.

Ditto to Amber's post- very well said!

J.

hey i started taking my kids to the dentist when their first tooth came in , and i guess im a slacker mom because i dont brush their teeth every morning

I talked to a dentist friend. I too was concerned about my sons dental hygene. Because I too can only remember at night time. And a 3 year old doesn't do a great job of brushing their own teeth.

He said that they should see the dentist for the first time at 4 years old. Before that it was just getting them in the habit of brushing thier teeth.

BRUSH BRUSH BRUSH!!! We learned the hard way. My son went to the dentist at two (we had been brushing 2 times a day for at least 6 months by that time) and he had 5 cavities, costing over $1200 in dental /medical. Some said not to get them fixed, but he said that it hurt to chew certain things. Dr. said it was basically from drinking milk and juice throughout the day with out brushing. We now brush both of our boy's teeth 2 times a day before we brush our own!

I have 2 children (ages 4 and almost 3) and I have to admit I have never been good at remembering to brush their teeth. My youngest does NOT like her teeth brushed (I don't know why and I've tried changing tooth brushes, tooth paste, etc) and I sometimes have to fight with her to brush her teeth and am honestly lucky if I brush her teeth once a day. My son is much better but still with our busy life and sometimes the routine isn't always the same. I've even tried putting their toothbrush by mine but sometimes I'm so busy I don't brush mine until after they are in bed. As far as the dentist goes it depends on the dentist and if there are any problems. If you use a dentist that specializes in pediatrics they will probably see you soon (age wise) than a regular family dentist. Neither of my children have been to the dentist but I do floss their teeth and check carefully for any problems.

I have been brushing my son's teeth since he got a mouth pretty full of teeth...probably a little before 2 years old. I first took him to the dentist when he was three...my insurance started covering then, and frankly I couldn't see him any earlier sitting in the chair; as it was he only sat there maybe 10 minutes and they cleaned about his front 6 teeth. The dental hygenist said it was okay, just brush and floss (!)once or twice a day. I usually forget in the morning...we're in such a rush...but every night and usually he does it himself first and then I take over. I tried to floss once and it was a lot of trouble doing it for a wiggle 3 year old! Anyway it is a habit to do it at least every night, which is good. It did take about 6 months for him to get into liking getting his teeth brushed, but it was worth the fight. I wish you luck!

I BRUSH MY 14 MONTH OLD TEETH TWICE A DAY AND SHE HAS GONE TO THE DENTIST. THEY SAY TAKE THEM WHEN THEY TURN 1. HER FRONT TWO TEETH UNDER NEAR GUM WAS RED SO HE SAID TO BRUSH GOOD TWICE A DAY. I HOPE THIS HELPS.

I agree with Amber's post-- My kids are 3 and 5 and we religiously brush their teeth in the mornings AND at bedtime. I know it's chaotic in the mornings, as it is here with two, but it's just part of the routine just as getting dressed is. Do you keep the hair brush in the bathroom? If not, maybe you could try that to help you remember--after you brush his hair, brush his teeth... Or maybe put your son's toothbrush right next to yours so that you'll remember when you brush your own teeth in the morning to brush his also.

As for the first dentist visit question, I think it depends on your dentist. My dentist says 3 years old as long as there are no obvious problems/concerns, but I've heard other opinions on this.

i have allways hard when they start getting teeth i have 5 kids i stared talking them by the time there was 2 years old

Hi - My kids are now pre-teen and new teen, but as soon as they got teeth, I started brushing their teeth. I also got them a soft toothbrush for them to "chew" on to get used to a tooth brush. While I worked full time and was very busy, I made sure I took the little time it took to brush their teeth. Did not use toothpaste at first, according to the dentist, but when I did, I used VERY little as they don't spit it out very well. I first took them to the dentist around their third birthday. Anytime sooner than that is usually futile, as they don't understand, won't sit still, etc. Good luck!

please read my request and see the problems that I'm currently going thru. Please make sure you brush their teeth at least 2 times a day and my dentist said the you should brush or at least wipe their teeth with a cloth after eating and drinking!