Over the years we have had our fair share of struggles to get the children to brush their teeth, sometimes the toothpaste is too minty, other times the water is too cold, yes they have tried it all!
Thankfully they have a pretty good regime of brushing morning and night plus they know if their teeth start to hurt the best thing to do is give them a brush to make sure nothing is stuck between them or causing aggravation. Amelia has a gap from years of dummy use but other than that her little teeth are perfect!
It is part of our routine that I really enjoy, its a one on one time that I know is going to happen every day without fail and something I wish I had been a little more focused on growing up myself. I let my teeth brushing game slide for a while, you know the drill, teen age years of one too many to drink and falling into bed without the usual routine. Not visiting the dentist through fear of not knowing what they were going to do thus making any issues even worse. My top recommendation to anyone is nip it in the bud and get to the dentist before it turns into something major.
I would love to now get a full set of veneers, those sparkly white ones you see on movie stars and have been trying to find somewhere that specialises in this kind of work. I came across theoldchurchdental.co.uk and they undertake all kind of dental cosmetic surgery, plus it is actually inside an old church so I can imagine sitting in the chair having any work done would be a beautiful distraction looking through those stained glass windows!
To keep your little ones as happy as mine with their pearly whites I spoke to some of my blogger friends to find out how they tackle the age old problem of getting their children into a good dental routine:
We started brushing Rory’s teeth as soon as they came through. Now he sees it as a game. I get him to stick his tongue out and make funny noises while doing the brushing. Becky – MommyandRory
We sing a really stupid song – brush brush brush your teeth, so they don’t fall out. It works too! – Emma – MeandBMakeTea
We have toothbrushes races to make it a bit more fun & we see who has the cleanest teeth at the end..Freddie always wins. Emma – ReadyFreddieGo
Brush them everyday as soon as they have even one tooth – gets them used to it. Then when older use a timer and let them choose their toothpaste. Debbie – MyBoysClub
We sing and use flashing toothbrushes so they know when to stop they also have an two minute egg timer which seems to distract them into getting on with brushing. Helen – MyCrazyFamilyStory
We started doing it in the bath as they are distracted by the fun of being in the bath. Once they were both used to it and didn’t mind us brushing them we did it after the bath. Has worked really well for both. Sarah – SurreyMama
We used a brush before teeth appeared, so when they came it was a routine already, now Robin is 18 months old and will happily chew away on the brush during bath time. Sarah – MummyCatNotes
Regular dental visits are essential and I really do think that little ones should be taken as soon as their teeth appear, they need to learn that dentists are there to help and look after them, not be used as a last resort when things have gone too far and the damage is already done!
XOXO
Debbie
This is a collaborative post
