My 27-Month-old Is Very Difficult for Teeth Brushing

What kind of toothbrush is he using? My daughter used to hate brushing her teeth as well, until I got her a "Bratz" powered tothbrush. Now I have no problem at all. She even wants to brush all by herself.

Holding him down will only make this harder for you. A power thing is going on now. I say "bribe" him....that always seems to work. Especially if there is a reward in it for him at this very young age. But, now since this thing has become such a power struggle, I'd say wait a few days before you try the bribe. If you can work on it for the next few days, like a game with a prize at the end for him, I think it's the only way. Good luck..

D.,
I hate to sound old fashioned, but you are the parent and there are some battles you just have to win. Anything related to your child's health is one of them. Brushing his teeth, like going to bed, is not optional. The advice you've gotten is helpful, but doesn't go far enough. Make things he likes to do: going to the park, watching Sesame Street, playing with his favorite toy, whatever, contingent on having his teeth brushed. Don't make it a threat or a punishment. It just won't happen until his teeth are clean. Put the decision in his hands and don't back down.

Good luck,
L. D.

Hi D.,
I have a 3 year old, and this is what has worked for us. First, he has a bunch of toothbrushes (lots of different colors, characters, etc.) so each morning/night, I get him to choose which one he wants. Every now and then he refuses to choose, so I ask, "Do you want me to choose it for you?" At that, he usually picks one. You can get them at the dollor store for about 4/$1. I periodically give him new packs of them as gifts... in his stocking at Christmas, etc. This helps make it seem less like a utility item and more like a special treat for him. He actually gets excited about them, especially when it's the pricier kind that have characters on them.
Next, our system is that he has a turn (while I'm brushing my own teeth) and then I have a turn. When it's my turn, I sing the ABCs twice... once for the bottom teeth, once for the top. I find this helpful because it sets a specific duration, so he knows exactly how much longer there is to go, so he's not as impatient and squirmy. At the end, when I sing, "...tell me what you think of me," I always tap or kiss his nose and say, "I think you're wonderful!" He loves that part (and so do I). I've noticed that sometimes when he's having his turn at brushing his teeth, he sings or hums the ABCs while looking at himself in the mirror, and automatically ends it with, "I think you're wonderful!" Love that.
Best of luck to you!

I'd think that using something he REALLY likes as a bargaining tool would work. Such as, "When you let me brush your teeth til they're clean, THEN you can __________." And stick to it! Try to accemtuate the positive, though. Don't make it like a punishment ("If you don't brush your teeth, you can't _________."), just 'do this, get that'.

Also if he ever starts biting the brush bristles (on the sides), try to have him stop as this is what makes brushes fan/flare out and the bristles will scratch the gums.

D., make brushing his teeth and their passing your inspection the prerequisite to some evening ritual that he enjoys. If he loves to play in the bath, make teeth brushing first. Perhaps make it pre-empt his favorite TV program, or the reading of his favorite story.
Be creative. Draw a picture of a tooth with facial features and name him "Crusher." Sounds like a guy-name, huh? Make him a demolition expert. It's his job to crush all the food before it can get out of the mouth and go down the throat. He gets a lot of his special strength from the secret chemistry in the toothpaste; therefore, we should never waste its power, but make certain it touches every tooth on Crusher's team. He is the Spiderman/Batman/Mr. Incredible of your son's smile! He depends on _______(your sons name) to give him the protection he needs to do his job!
Get into your little boy's head and tap into the macho/GI JOE side of him. Make him responsible for taking care of his teeth.
You could make up stories with your little boy about the feats that Crusher accomplishes each day. What enemy did he defeat? Decay? Placque? Was he strong enough to crunch that carrot into bits?
D., you could write a children's book about your whole adventure and make money for your son's future!
Two birds - one stone - clean teeth and college education. Wow!
Oh and if you can't draw you could find pictures online or at a dentist's office and even find magazines with smiles advertising toothpaste or lipstick.
You can do it. Oh, be sure to give Crusher oppotunities for dialogue - let you son come up with that!
Wishing you success!
L.

A doctor who had small children at home once told me to let the child "brush" first, then firmly say "it's my turn", and take your turn. By then the novelty has worn off and they don't mind too much. Sometimes I have to restrain my kid (like I would to give medicine if he was resisting), but he doesn't "get" to let his teeth rot.

When my youngest turned 2, he would put up a fight with us. He was fine to brush his teeth himself, but never wanted us to help and I knew he wasn't doing a great job on his own. I ended up letting him do it himself in the mornings and then at night I added it to his bath routine. After I washed him, I would brush his teeth and he barely even acknowledged that I was doing it because he was so busy playing with his toys. He just turned 3 last month and is completely fine letting us help him now. We just let him do it on his own first and then we take over.

I agree with Teresa. Get him a battery operated toothbrush. They also have some more advanced ones that work by the pressure that is applied when it touches the teeth. This may be too advanced for him at this point but it is usually recommended for people with "heavy hands". My son has one that the dentist recommended that has a timer on it so it will only run so long...then shut off. I think this is your best bet. You will have to pick your battles and he is only 27 months so his dexterity is not going to be developed yet. You could also try those little red chewable tablets that show where he has missed. That might even make it like a game to him to see how many spots he got. Of course, you don't want him to think the discoloration is a good or fun thing. Do the best you can. Maybe a visit to a dentist who works well with children would be good. You don't necessarily have to go to a Pedidontist (one that specializes in children's dentistry). Also make sure it is not a "factory" as it may scare him and that won't be good either. Good luck!

When my daughters started resisting teeth brushing, I told them if they don't want to brush, they are not allowed any sweets (candy or dessert) AT ALL because it will make their teeth rotten without brushing. They decided to cooperate and let me do it. You may have to let it go a day to prove your resolve, but stick to it. Don't think of this as punishment... it's loss of a privilege rationally tied to not performing a necessary behavior. This approach tends to be more effective and better training than rewarding.

My 3-yr-old still likes to "brush first," but then it's my turn to really get them clean.

Now, we have movie time before bed, and no one gets to watch until their teeth are brushed. Try tying it to some privilege that he really values and then step back and let him choose. Of course you can't let that go on very long if he still doesn't want to brush, but hope that helps. good luck.

Maybe if you get him a "power" toothbrush,one that works off batteries. They have all kinds with kids in mind.Some type of character that he likes? And the tooth brush does most of the work. When my kids were that age, that's what I used to make brushing fun and they wanted to do it. Good luck!

Definitely don't force him since he'll probably just be more obstinate about it. The approach I have always taken with my son (now 18) is to be candid with him -- just don't overdo it and scare him, but even at 27 months, children can understand when you tell them the consequences of not taking care of those pearly whites. Besides, just think of all the foods he wouldn't be able to eat without those pearly whites! Also, there are some oral solutions that show "yuk" on teeth -- just watch for age limitations on the solutions to make sure they are toddler safe.
Good luck!
Janet S.

Sit him down at the kitchen/dining room table with a mirror and give him his toothbrush. Tell him that he is a big boy now and that you can trust him to brush his own teeth. With being able to see his teeth close up, he may do a better job. You may even want to buy the rinse that makes the teeth blue and show him that he has to get all of the blue off of his teeth.

Best wishes!!

Sorry I'm getting to you so late.... Try taking him to the store to pick out his own tooshbrush and toothpaste. Once I realized I had a fight on my hands with brushing, I knew I was in trouble. One day my daughter and I were at Target, and I got really excited and looked at her and asked her if she wanted to pick out a new toothbrush. She did, and toothpaste too. She couldn't wait to get home and brush. First it's her turn, and when she's done, it's mommys turn. We get a new set up every 2 weeks probably, and at first I was really concerned about the money, (becasue we're on a tight budget), but now I'm just greatfull she is excited to brush. She has 3 to pick from. I still get resistance when she is tired or extra independent. To offset the times of no brushing, I also picked up a scooby doo blue rinse (use before brushing- turns your teeth blue so you know where to brush) and a bubble gum floride rinse for after the brushing. For the kids floride I actually dip her toothbrush in it and brush her teeth AFTER using toothpaste. I figure any little bit helps to protect her teeth. Then, she gets to do it herself and practice "swishing".... not very effictive when she does it, I can tell, (which is why I do a quick brush of her teeth with the floride first to evenly coat all over), and get excited with her and tell what a GREAT job shes doing. For the tongue, I aske her to show me her biggest tonge, and we have a contenst together and make silly faces at eachother(while I get a couple of swipes on her tonunge with the toothbrush), and sometime I'll pretend to brush her nose, chin, or whatever to make it fun. I should warn you, this process takes longer than you adverage brush and go!! To me, it's worth it. And fun. Really sucks when I'm runnnig late though. For that I recently got a travel brush/paste on the dollar isle of Target. When we get to her school, she is SO EXCITED to get mommys mini toothbrush out of the case, and have mommys minty paste. I use very little, and she LOVES it. Good luck!

D., first of all, don't stress! It's completely normal response! Make sure he brushes his teeth the same time you are brushing his, and do it slowly so he can watch. Kids mimic parents and older siblings and sooner or later he'll get it. All three of mine were a handful to brush their teeth and like the other advice said, find a pediatric dentist for him to visit. It gives them another person telling them how important it is and makes it fun. Even though mom does, it's always easier for others! I had a great dentist in Washington and my kids loved him. I was able to hold my son the first time so he was comfortable. You always have the option of going with them. If the dentist is a good one, they'll accept you going. I had trouble with one that insisted on the kids going alone...ended up with a root canal on a five yr old baby tooth...without my knowledge or permission. Not happening again! Hope this helps and maybe letting him choose the toothbrush, my son loves his racecar. Good luck!

.

Hi D.,
We have the same struggles with my 28 mo old. The only way we can brush his teeth right now is to have my husband sit and turn him upside down while I brush. I know it sounds crazy, but he thinks its hilarious to have his teeth brushed this way, and their mouths naturally fly open when you turn them upside down. lol It only takes a few seconds to get them good (they don't have that many teeth) so he isn't turning red from all the blood rushing to his head or anything like that. Anyway, hope it helps. :)

We just took our 3 year old to the pediatric dentist. I was surprised when he told us that toothbrushing was not very necessary at this age. He said it was much more important to limit sugar. No candy, unsweetened diluted juice, low sugar cookies, ect. My son doesn't mind getting his teeth brushed when I warn him about bugs on his teeth and what he teacher might say if she smelled his breath. All fights at this age are just a stage. Keep offering, demonstrate your own brushing habits.

I have two things that really worked with my little boy - besides getting to pick out a cool toothbrush..which helped, I got something called Tanners Tastey Paste - it tastes like cupcakes and the Floride one tastes like a dreamcicle, I think they also have chocolate. My son did not really care for the taste of the kid pastes so once we got this the time he let me brush his teeth increased. It is a little more expensive but worth every scent. You can get it online or some children's dentists have it - which saves shipping costs.

We played the sugerbug game if he refused to brush his teeth. I told him we needed to get the sugar bugs off his teeth. As he would let me start to brush, I would say "Oh ther goes one!" and I would stomp the floor and say "Wew Got it,...Oh there is another one..." I woul play this game until we were done brushing. I would then check his mouth to see if any sugar bugs were left. I told him we had to check, because if sugarbugs stayed on his teeth they would eat them and make his teeth yucky and brown.

I got this idea from my sister (mother of 7). This trick worked on all of her children and on mine. Good Luck

let him go to the store with you and pick out a tooth brush. there are ones that play music and all sorts of diff characters. this worked for up hope it helps!

How about taking him to pick out his own toothbrush? Maybe if he has control over that decision, he will want to use it? You know of course, he is trying to see how much he can get away with and how you react. Those wonderful-do-it-myself two's.