Toddler son hates having his teeth brushed...update

notanewuser

mumps wrote: »

We tried for years to stop her, it is so hard because the thumb is just there isn't it, and with my daughter she wasn't even aware she was doing it. At one point we were constantly telling her to take her thumb out of her mouth, her teacher was doing the same and it made no difference. No amount of bribery worked as she just wasn't aware of it.

I thought taping her hand was bad but the chilli powder sounds awful. We did try the nail biting stuff and it did slow her down a bit but gradually that wore off. I never thought of gloves but that sounds good except I think my daughter would have just taken them off.

I think most grow out of it before they get to double figures but I know someone who was still doing it an university and was embarassed when a lecturer pointed her out doing it one day. I know someone else who admits to still doing it at night and she won't see 40 again.

Good luck, I'm glad that isn't something I have to go through again as it was several years of my life. Like I said before at least you can take a dummy off them.

We did offer her a dummy, but she never took to it.

valk_scot

lindseykim13 wrote: »

i've only recently learnt that fruit isn't great for teeth as i always thought i was giving healthy snacks.

This is where having a drink of water after eating anything that might damage teeth helps. If you take a mouthful of water, swill it round your mouth and then just swallow it the water will dilute down any acid or sugar in your mouth and that can only help. It also helps remove food particles clinging to your teeth. No, it's definately not as good as brushing your teeth properly but if you get into the habit of doing it after every snack or meal or after drinking anything then it really does add up when it comes to protecting your teeth. And it's ridiculously easy to do.

brook2jack

Actually swilling water round will do nothing to change the acidity of the mouth and it's the acid produced by bacteria metabolising sugar that damages teeth.

Saliva is very good at neutralising the acid so chewing chewing gum (particularly containing xylitol which has anti decay properties in itself), stimulates saliva flow and neutralises acid.

Chewing a piece of cheese also helps neutralise acid.

However if you have multiple sugar/starch attacks during the day then nothing will help you will get decay. The average person in the Uk eats seven times a day. Add to that drinks (fruit juice, squash even very dilute, smoothies, tea or coffee even with only a half a sugar) and it's easy to see how decay occurs.

skintchick

Do you have the research link for that star about eating seven times a day? It would be helpful for me in my work.

brook2jack

I will look up the citation which was by edwina Kidd in one of her lectures. However here is a link based on older research which quotes figures of 6 and 6.5 but more recent research shows an increase in consumption frequency https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:uJ1xsfChwG4J:psych.cf.ac.uk/home2/smith/210.pdf+between+meal+eating+episodes+Uk&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShakRqm6e7v7jKYDbPugCIICIrKjD3-89QKaKLw1-fgoK83NFxPRxYVBkb_vr9ttnOhHGZPFoouyrtN-sMjRyQm1wuvzxmjA_74tCKV9z__bLronCGZaEkoq_Xqf-CMi1YekE9E&sig=AHIEtbSvSY7WTogE5LxQqDlgqWxzsFBL-w

dizziblonde

OK here's one for you. I have what is definitely a dental phobia - we're not talking simple dislike of the dentists or unease - we're talking levels of screaming the place down when I had to have wisdom teeth removed under sedation (they actually went out to hubby in the waiting room to confirm I wasn't being killed), and panic attacks and stammering under the stress of it - the works... I've been known to go two years with severe toothache before cracking and going to the dentist. A combination of a very unpleasant with no patient skills dentist as a kid, cruddy tooth enamel and the subsequent vicious circle making for a very unpleasant time of it.

Got as far as being able to GO to the dentist now but it's obvious that I'm in no way emotionally at ease with the situation - and it's not something I can hide very well... add in hubby as one of those dentist-dodgers who doesn't suffer tooth ache or needs endless fillings like I do if I ever try to dodge going - and he can't really cover the slack on this one easily since he never flipping well goes given half the chance anyway!

So how the heck am I going to get round this with my daughter - who thankfully is being late teething and make sure she doesn't end up as utterly terrified and with wrecked teeth like I have? It's all well and good saying hide how the place makes me feel - but it's a genuine phobia (drives me nuts people just commenting that "oooh I don't like the dentist either" - it's way, way, way beyond that) and not just the usual dislike - and I know I need to get the situation sorted for her and get her into the routine sooner rather than later.

brook2jack

Can a grandparent or other relative take them for now (you will have to sign the nhs forms as you have parental responsibility) and can you get a referral to a community dentist to help you deal with your phobia?

Your childs needs are one thing , but it is important not to neglect yourself. You need to get into a regular routine of attendance yourself so you don't get into terrible troubles again.

Also both of you need to keep good diet and oral hygiene and need to ask dentists advice about this.

Greener_Grass

havent read all the replies but my son hated having his teeth brushed and what worked for me was typing in to google images rotting teeth and showing him the pictures of what would happen if he didn't brush. also telling him he then wouldn't be able to eat his fav foods helped. He now loves brushing his teeth! he has bubblegum flavoured toothpaste which also he loves! don't blame him i've used it myself once or twice cause its that nice.

Tigsteroonie

dizziblonde, my OH (marleyboy) shares your phobia of dentists, I've managed to drag him to one emergency dental appointment in three years but he was a wreck before and after. (And he screamed the place down too!)

Marley normally takes our son to all his (our son's) various medical appointments but we have an agreement that he won't take him to the dentist, because of the worry that Marley might pass on the phobia by his behaviour - so it's the one appointment that I have to do. Despite your OH not needing to go to the dentist himself, could he take your daughter?

brook2jack

Greener grass The problem for you is childrens toothpaste doesn't contain as much fluoride as adult toothpaste. So children should be on adult toothpaste by the age of three and adults shouldn't use it at all.