Dental care/brushing teeth

[Whitney]

Hi, I was wondering what others do for dental care for the kiddos. How did you start getting them to tolerate brushing their teeth? I know we've had these posts in the past and someone mentioned some cool videos about brushing their teeth. Now, we use a washcloth in the tub and sometimes we can get them to tolerate a baby toothbrush w/ some paste, but that's rare..

Wanted to hear others stories, etc!

thanks

Whitney

[sandra]

This is going to sound bad, but I just hold Brian's hands with one of my hands during a treatment and go for it. He hates it but I just do it anyway. I do use a little bit of children's toothpaste and he swallows it. I do it during a treatment because we bag the treatments in and I know he won't desat from being mad. I also have good control during the treatment. The way we do the treatments in his crib, he can't fight it too much. He quits being mad as soon as I am done, so I know it isn't traumatic. He will even take the toothbrush and pretend to brush mine.

Christopher likes the taste so I don't have a problem with him. Hopefully, others will have a sweet approach for this.

[twintotwin]

We do just as Sandra does. It takes 2 people to brush the boys teeth. We do that twice a day. Just hold them down and brush away. Because we have to.
Now we're seeing a dentist every 3 months to have them cleaned. Lots of tartar from having a g-tube. It's really hard to force them down and do all this but it's a necessary evil.

I still don't feel their teeth are as white as I'd like to see them. Especially since they are so cute.

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[Ann]

You big meanies! http://www.tracheostomy.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif (just kidding). Of course, Jack can't fight it, so it's not a problem for us. I imagine if he was a fighter like your boys, I'd be doing the same thing.

[Jimmysmom]

Jimmy can't fight too much but he used to make it difficult for us. He would clamp his lips shut tight and throw his head from side to side. We tried lots of things but what seemed to work best was counting when we brushed. We told him that we would brush five times on each side. So after awhile he didn't mind if we took longer and now for the most part he cooperates. One time we were in the hospital and they gave us toothbrushes that hook into the suction machine. This works pretty well too.

Good Luck

Anne

[JWorthington]

Sam has an oral aversion, so teeth cleaning is a nightmare. Â*Like Jimmy, he clamps his mouth shut and shakes his head from side to side. Â*He has quite a lot of tartar build up, though the dentist says that he shouldn't have any decay because he doesn't take anything by mouth. Â*I think I manage to clean his teeth about once a week, but I do have to pin him down. Â*At the moment we are trying various therapies. Â*He has a Bugs Bunny with huge teeth, so we play at brushing Bugs' teeth. Â*Also I've just bought a battery toothbrush as someone told me they take to it better (think it might have been Deb?), he is getting used to me tickling his hands with it, so I'm slowly moving up towards his face. Â*The speech therapist has recommended that I get his teeth cleaned when he next goes under an anaesthetic.

Julie

[sandra]

I really think being fed by g-tube causes the teeth to build up more palque/tartar. Christopher's teeth look much better than Brian's. Some of Brian's teeth color is from the meds he has been on and we'll just have to see what happens to the permanent teeth.

We see the dentist every 6 mo for cleaning.

[Lizzykewlness]

We use that fake toothpaste stuff that just tastes yummy, Luke likes it and tries to brush his own teeth after I'm done. It seems to be the only thing he doesn't fight off recently (diaper change, suctioning, bath time/ and coming out of the bath).

-Sarah

[Melisande]

We used the orajel finger thing even before he had teeth. We clean them twice a day. There is some special baby toothpaste that they can swallow. I forget the brand, but I'll check later and post it. I think it comes in two flavors. Anyway, we just brush them. The finger thing is like a finger cot with little soft brushes on the end. Also, there is an oral care kit from Johnson & Johnson, I think, that has 3 brushes. One is a small regular brush and the other two are special ribbed oral stimulators. We've used those too. Donovan's gone through times when he doesn't like to have them brushed, but we're meanies http://www.tracheostomy.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif , we just do it anyway and he's adapted and let's us do it now. In the morning we've started going to the sink and standing on a stool and washing his face and hands and brushing his teeth. We've made it a routine. Just keep at it, they'll get used to it!! http://www.tracheostomy.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif http://www.tracheostomy.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/inlove.gif

[babyhugger]

I'm a big meanie too! Tristan just gags and carries on some kinda bad! I usually do it each morning after his bath and papoose him in his bath towel http://www.tracheostomy.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif I can just show him his toothbrush and he will gag! Little monkey!

Dawna

[Alethia]

I started using a Nuk gum brush when Angus' first proper tooth came in. Now he'll tolerate light brushing of his teeth as part of his bed time routine. If he's not in the mood, I just get his Nuk brush out with a thing smear of toothpaste and he chews on it - not ideal, but as he's doing quite well with eating just now, I don't want to push him and make things go back towards oral aversion again.

[Karen S.]

I hate brushing Hannah's teeth and to make matters worse, she won't let me, so I usually have to force it and hold her hands away from her mouth. However, she let's the nurses brush her teeth without a problem. (um..makes me wonder what I am doing wrong?)

Karen

[LeslieML]

Bert brushes Chase's teeth at night. On the weekends it is usually more than once a day .. he will come in with me while I am doing my routine and copy.
His teeth are NASTY..probably due to being tube fed and like Sandra said, all the anti biotics.
I have to find a good ped Dentist that will let the parents back in the room with their children. My oldest son's dentist has a strict no parent policy.
But then I look at the calendar and see we are moving in less than three months and say, I'll fight with him at the new place.
I am such a terrible mommy! http://www.tracheostomy.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[Nate's Mom]

Fortunately Nate doesn't fight us. He could if he wanted, but he doesn't seem to mind. I use a child's toothbrush and gerber toothpaste.

[Whitney]

Thanks for the replies. I am gonna have to be Mean Mommie myself...

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