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SeaSoul
member
How often do you brush your toddler's teeth?
SeaSoul
member
I feel like I read/heard somewhere to start out just once/day. But he's nearly 28 months now and we're still doing once/day. At some point we should move up to twice/day, but I'm not sure when? Is there a guideline for this? How did/do you decide? (really interested in answers to these 2 questions).
Sad thing is, neither DH nor I brush twice/day (and my teeth are in great shape!). But we go to bed way later than Cal, so he won't know the difference until he's...a teenager? 
Childhood cancer (DH) + chemo + radiation = 0 sperm.
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
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Re: How often do you brush your toddler's teeth?
Usually twice a day -- but DH handles the real teeth brushing. DD just wants to imitate me while I'm getting ready in the morning so she gets her tooth brush and brushes herself...which is probably not all that cleansing.
ETA answers to the actual questions
-- I don't know if there is a guideline. I'm not even sure there's a guideline for adult teeth...or rather there may be but I think it's largely determined by dental health and "what your dentist" says. Mine says to brush my teeth after every meal, I can tell you honestly that never happens. I think that brushing twice a day is a standard guideline but I'm sure a pediatric dentist would be able to give you a more thorough response.
Right now we just do once a day, before bed. It's part of our bathtime routine. Sometimes she loves it, sometimes (like right now) she fights me tooth and nail (haha!)
I want to go to twice a day at some point, but adding that to our morning routine doesn't sound fun for anyone involved. On weekdays I wake her right before she and my husband have to be out the door. She's barely awake and I don't want to be shoving a toothbrush in her mouth and getting her all worked up.
Plus she still only has 8 teeth.
This
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*Surprise BFP-T18 baby lost at 13w 1/10 *FET #1-DS born 2/11
"When it comes to sleeping, whatever your baby does is normal. If one thing has damaged parents enjoyment of their babies, it's rigid expectations about how and when the baby should sleep." ~ James McKenna, Ph.D., Mother Baby Behavioral Sleep Center, University of Notre Dame
"When it comes to sleeping, whatever your baby does is normal. If one thing has damaged parents enjoyment of their babies, it's rigid expectations about how and when the baby should sleep." ~ James McKenna, Ph.D., Mother Baby Behavioral Sleep Center, University of Notre Dame
Thanks!
I'd never really heard anything to this effect...and honestly can't remember why/how we decided to do just once/day to begin with.
Just call me hormonal!
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
No need to get cranky, mama.
Ditto everything LucyP said. I'm pretty sure twice a day is recommend for everyone once you've got even close to a full set of teeth.
I think I remember reading on the back of Audrey's 2 year checkup information that we should be brushing twice a day. It also said that she should see the dentist sometime this year and begin going every six months. (I'm not taking her until she will reliably open her mouth on command when we brush her teeth. She has a major dr phobia and I highly doubt she'd sit still and open wide for a dentist!)
I never made a formal decision on how often to brush her teeth. I started just at night time as part of her bedtime routine and then recently decided to do it twice a day. Sometimes it's a battle and I'm lucky to get one good brush a day.
It's become easier since I moved her toothbrush/paste downstairs in our bathroom. I brush mine in the morning and then brush hers. Then, I brush her again right before I take her upstairs for the night.
No kidding?? My dentist said 4.
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
I brush Paige's teeth once per day. She loves to brush her teeth and often mimics me when I do it, but I only formally brush hers with her brush and paste in her sink after her bath and before bedtime.
I am not sure on the guidelines, and I won't really worry about it until she starts seeing a dentist. Then I'll do what they recommend.
This is just how it works with our schedule. I feel like once per day is sufficient at this point in her life.
LOL, and we've already taken DD. I really think dental health is sort of all over the place with "guidelines" and rules. We happen to know a pediatric dentist and she recommended that we start "brushing" DD's teeth as soon as she had one tooth and that we see her sometime between 18 months and 2 years for an initial assessment.
"I have four children. Two are adopted. I forget which two. -Bob Constantine
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I brush DS' teeth twice a day -- morning and night. It's part of his routine at wake up and bed time (potty, wash hands, brush teeth, wash face, lotion, GO).
He's been to the dentist twice, once last year at 22 months, and then again at 28. He gets his teeth counted, they inspect, we discuss his oral care, and then they polish. He picks out a tooth brush and paste (though I toss theirs as it has flouride and he won't spit it out).
I have terrible terrible teeth. They decay and break easily despite a ton of brushing and generally very good oral care on my part. I never skip brushing and frequently do extra brushings each day (like 3 is my minimum). I want to be extra careful with his teeth in case he got my bad genes. Most people don't have to be that dedicated or cautious.
ETA: there are guidelines -- brush twice a day with non-flouride toothpaste once child has teeth but before they can spit out toothpaste. Once they can spit it out, move to flouride paste, continue twice a day, first dental visit by age 2 I think though most dentists don't want to see patients til they will sit and open their mouth.
I do what I do based on personal history and level of concern. People who have great teeth can certianly be more lax without consequence.
I started taking P to the dentist when he turned 2. That dentist said we were doing a great job by brushing twice a day. We brush before naptime and before bedtime at night. I brush my teeth at least twice a day and floss at night. I was told that we should start flossing his teeth too. He has huge spaces in his front teeth, so I just ommitted it, but this more recent trip to a different dentist showed that we need to be flossing in between the back molars now that his 2 year old molars are in. We also use an electric toothbrush so that we can get in and out of his mouth quickly.
Maybe you can all get into a habit of twice a day that will work with your schedule.
When I asked my dentist about E's teeth, he suggested definitely once a day and trying for twice, so that's what we do. I'll be adding E to our dental coverage next month, so she'll go to a dentist this summer and we'll see what they suggest.
I grew up brushing twice a day (morning and night) so that's what I've always done as an adult. And on weekends, I also brush after lunch. I like clean teeth!
ETA: Both my dentist and our pedi suggested we start taking her to the dentist (every 6 months, just like us) soon after she turned 2.
We brush both of their teeth in the morning and at bedtime. Sometimes also after they wake up from nap. They both drool big time and sometimes wake up with morning breath:)
I started with only water when they were little little...but Reed's top and bottom teeth are touching now so I use infant toothpaste (no fluoride) since they both refuse to spit after brushing. I also floss Reed's teeth a few times a week. Penny's bottom teeth are just starting to touch, so I will start to floss those soon too.
We talked to our dentist about it. Neither one of them have been to the dentist yet, but I do know of someone who had a cavity at like age 3. I have tonnes of fillings and really weak enamel. I don't want that for my kids, although Tommy has the toughest teeth ever so they might be okay anyway.
Once a day (at night right before bed!)
I am sure there is a guideline or something they recommend....I can ask dh tomorrow(he's asleep now but he's a dentist) or can ask some of our friends that are in Pedo (pediatric dentists).
Also, we were just talking the other day to our friends about that Sonicare has a toothbrush for kids:) I think the recommended age starts at 4 but we have given it as gifts and the parents always rave b/c it has a timer and teaches them how long to brush etc!
When we remember, we do twice a day. Most days, it's once a day, but Mia is only 19 months.
I think once she's able to help do it more (maybe around 2 years?) we will do it twice a day. It could also be at 22 months when we try to potty train her for good. That way, we'll be in the bathroom first thing in the morning, and we'll do it then, and also at night during bathtime (which is when we do it now).