How do you get your child to brush his/her teeth?

[KariW]

Our bedtime routine is a battle every night and our four year old REFUSES to brush his teeth. We have tried to make it fun and have tried several different toothbrushes and pastes but he hasn't liked any of them.

What do you use and what do you do to get the deed done?

[EatPlayLove]

Having a four year old myself, I have turned to a tooth brushing chart, just last month. These types of systems have never worked in the past, but for some reason it's getting the job done with brushing her teeth.

If you google tooth brush charts, you will find a ton of free printables. We use star stickers to reward her for everytime she remembers to brush. She places the sticker on a little sun or moon for the day!

Best of Luck! You aren't alone!

[TrishDish]

The chart is a great idea! For my older kids, we use those musical toothbrushes. They brush for the length of the song!

[mitchmcdad]

I just happened to read these entries and I laughed. My girls--2 and 4--are teeth brushing maniacs. I think it's because toothpaste has sugar and they absolutely live for sugar.

My idea for kids that resist the brush is to get a picture of the most gnarly, rotted out set of chicklets you can find on the web and tell the child that if they don't brush, that's what will happen to your teeth.

Sure they may be scarred from the method, but they should be cavity-free.

[jrhodes]

I have a better way...

Get some very realistic looking fake teeth that look rotten. Then surprise your kid with that. LOL

[cribtales]

My son's preschool class did a session on dental hygiene and referred to the germs as "sugar bugs." So now we brush away the sugar bugs each night and I even tell him which color bug I'm getting -- "oh there's a brown one from that chocolate cookie you ate; there's a white one from your milk" etc. It has helped a lot. Though I admit there was a period when he was very obstinate about brushing and we just had to hold him down to do it. It was not fun. A rotating "Lightening McQueen" toothbrush really helped the situation improve and in time he was brushing with less complaint. Then along came "Sugar bugs" and brushing became fairly easy. GL! It's never fun trying to win against a preschooler!

[mitchmcdad]

We go after the sugar bugs, too. But I thought my wife made that up--I'll have to call her on that.

[Diana B.]

If she doesn't brush, the next day sugar can be no where in her diet. No sweets, no nada. I leave it entirely up to her, but the very threat is enough to motivate brushing. Funny, we don't even eat much in the way of sweets, but she knows I have great follow-through and she doesn't want to miss out on an opportunity. A couple of times she has even pointed out to me when she fell asleep and didn't brush her teeth, in which case I give her a chance to quickly brush them as an extra make-up.

Oh, and since her 3-year old cousin had to go into the hospital, get put under a general for a root canal, she is religious about flossing too.

[bettybarr]

As pediatric dentists, this is the number one question parents ask. There are two motivators - fear (the child whose 3 year old cousin had general anesthesia for a root canal, scary looking teeth and sugar bugs eating away at those pearly) or rewards. Rewards work well once the children are 3 and older. Stickers on calendars are great. A certain number can be traded for something bigger. Or for an activity. Or a visit to a friend. Lots of ways to reward.
The new cool toothbrushes are fun. Especially the singing and light up ones.
And try distractors, like headphones and a movie or music. Or do it before a bedtime story. Or make up a brushing song and be silly while singing it. Here's a cute one (to the tune of Jingle Bells):
Brush your teeth, brush your teeth, do it every day. Brush them up and brush them down and brush them every waaaayy! Floss your teeth, floss your teeth, floss them every day. Get off all the yuck and plaque that make your teeth decay. Hey!!
We admire you parents who stick with it and are able to be creative and motivate your children. The kids are proud too when they do adult things. Don't forget to brush and floss with them. When they see you doing it, they want to emulate their heroes - mom and dad!
Drs. Betty, Nelle and Sean at Children's Dentistry.

[PhilCosta]

I was having trouble getting my little ones to brush their teeth. Then a friend of mine recommended inspiring them with music, she showed me a band called Koda and the Braveheart. My kids love it and it makes teeth brushing time a lot more fun for them and less of a headache for me.

http://kodaandthebraveheart.bandcamp.co ... your-teeth

[carlynbeatrix]

Dear i totally agree with you. I have stuck star stickers on the doors of the children's room for guiding them. I use sometimes the timetable for themselves or the star stickers for various purposes. In my opinion different good images for teaching the children can be very handy. Because the eye memory is greater than the ear memory.I have been using custom sticker decals in form of star stickers. It works well try these.