Have you tried letting her watch herself brushing infront of a mirror it works for my litle one,(most of the time!)

Thanks very much for the advice!

If you keep the sugar levels in his diet low and he does not go to bed with a bottle of milk or juice his front teeth should not rot. Its the back teeth that are most vulnerable (because they are used to chew those sweet things) and they have to last him a few years longer. He only has about four more years with his front teeth after all. The important thing to remember is that he needs to be happy cleaning his teeth by the time he has his second teeth. Don't do anything that could give him a phobea about brushing.

Here are a few things you might try.
1. You could try using a soft cloth on his front teeth.
2. You could make sweet things conditional on cleaning his front teeth. "If we eat chocolate we have to clean the front teeth- but be sure if you go along this route all the family follow the rule.
3 Can he manage to use mouth wash? (If you are worried about whether he will spit it out make a competionon of it)
4.You could have a chart (little stars for back teeth- big stars for front teeth) with little rewards for little stars- bigger rewards for big stars.
5. Introduce "biting" food- such as raw veg into his diet.

Your dentist will advise on tooth grinding- children can be given braces if grinding continues after his secondary teeth appear.
Dorothy Einon

Hi, regarding brushing teeth, I have problems still with my two year old to get him to brush his teeth properly, he is fine with getting his teeth brushed as long as you don't brush the front teeth. he just pushes his tongue out and twists his head away. i know he doesn't like it but if I don't do it, I can just imagine his first trip to the dentist and he has horrible teeth already! My dentist said he won't see him for first time til he is two and a half.

Another matter is that I am sure he is grinding his teeth and I have no idea what to do about that either??

Any advice please?

Thanks

Thank you, we'll leave the brushing for a while now and try again later.

Better a few weeks without cleaning than to frighten her by forcing cleaning on to her so she is upset and frightened. She may have been hurt, she may not like her toothbrush, she is beginning to understand communication (even if she does not say anything) and may just be letting you understand she can say No! Who knows- the point is that she does not want her teeth cleaned!

Nothing will happen if you just leave it for a while. Make a fuss of cleaning your teeth, and after a few weeks try again. Maybe using a soft cloth rather than a brush.

You might try using the cloth to wipe her mouth and then "and your lovely little teeth" If this does not work don't fight her or force her. Her teeth will not rot if you do not clean them for a two or three months (by which time she will almost certainly have forgotten what ever it is that has turned her off cleaning)- and you will have a clean slate to start again.
Dorothy Einon

Does someone have any good ideas how to brush those little teeth when my little angel has desided it's a no go anwhere near her mouth? I started to brush her teeth twice a day three months ago when she got her first two teeth. She is now 8 months and has 5 teeth. For some reason she has now desided that she doesn't want them brushed. This started when she weened herself of the breast two weeks ago (she simply just wouldn't have breast anymore). She's had no trouble with brushing earlier on, she quite liked it actually, especially when she was teething. I've tried all sort of distractions, games, songs, brushing my own and letting her do it herself with no help. Now the only way would be to hold her mouth open with my finger but I don't want to do that as that surely just makes her hate it even more. We have a baby brush and baby paste so it's not about the taste of the paste either. Should I just stop trying for a little while or what? All the instruction just show HOW to brush them when the trouble is how to get the little one's consent. I welcome any ideas. Thanks.