Toddler gingivitis

hay1122 · April 2014

We thought we were being good parents and setting good examples for DD with brushing teeth every night before bed. She would run up the stairs and happily put her toothbrush in her mouth and wave it around for a couple of minutes. Well, she wasn't doing a good job. This week, her gums have been really swollen, she's not eating much, and she has been so irritable. Our plan has been going well for the past 2 days of brushing her teeth (requires holding her down and she's screaming) twice a day and cutting out all juice. I am just hoping that it will get better soon, real soon.

Anyone have any experiences and can share some stories?

AimeeL85 · April 2014

You definitely can't rely on a toddler to brush their own teeth, you can let them play with it but you have to do a thorough brushing for them twice a day, as much as they may hate it. Hopefully before too long she will be calmer. If she has something painful going on in her mouth, it might be hurting her when you brush right now. Is she possibly cutting her two year molars and that is the reason for the swelling? If not, it may be time for a trip to the dentist to check.

laurelita42 · April 2014

AimeeL85 said:

You definitely can't rely on a toddler to brush their own teeth, you can let them play with it but you have to do a thorough brushing for them twice a day, as much as they may hate it.

Yep! DD knows that I get to brush her teeth first before she gets to 'do it herself'. While I brush, I sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (and she does hand motions she learned at the library) a couple times so that I can get a good amount of brushing in and she's distracted the whole time. Then she can swish around with the brush as much as she wants!

beccalee721 · April 2014

I think I've missed something.. did a dentist tell you your DD has a problem? All of those symptoms sound like teething to me, I wouldn't immediately jump to gingivitis or a dental problem unless a doctor brought it up.

kateraid · April 2014

When DS is teething and his gums are sensitive I use the aleve organic teething cloths. I find sometimes I can't tell if I am pushing too hard with the brush and if he's squirming it seems to hurt him. He reacts much better if I use my finger and a cloth when his teeth are cutting.

hay1122 · April 2014

Just an update: We did diagnose her ourselves with gingivitis since her gums were profusely bleeding when we held her down to brush them. After a week of eliminating fruit juice, and brushing twice daily with a rice sized amount of fluoride toothpaste, her mouth is 100% improved. I am just so happy that we've been able to keep following through. She is happy, eating more than ever, and her gums are no longer bleeding.