Brushing teeth has become a problem now..?

Question

My daughter, almost 14 months, hates getting her teeth brushed. When she first got her teeth she let me brush her 4 little teeth then I let her just chew on the tooth brush, then she didn't like me to brush them, but instead just wanted to chew on the tooth brush, so I let her. But, now she refuses to let me brush her teeth, which I am fine with, but she won't chew on her tooth brush either.

She needs her teeth brushed, but won't even chew on a tooth brush so her teeth aren't even getting clean.

I think I am a little obsessed with her teeth being clean because my mom obsesses over it and tells me all these stories about how 2 year old kids come into her dentist office and have to have cavities filled. Anyways!

What do I do now?

Answer 1

No, believe me, you don't use toothpaste. Just water and a toothbrush.

Give them a good brushing, and you're over and done with.

Toothpaste is the thing she must not like.  

Answer 2

Is she teething?  My 15-mo-old used to love having her teeth brushed, but this month when her molars came in, she stopped liking it.  I knew it was because of the teething, and so I did not push for it.  We took a little break.  The teeth all came in now, and we are slowly working on getting back to a regular brushing schedule.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

This is a tricky one I know. Some kids don't mind it at all and some kids are great about letting their teeth  be brushed.

Have you tried buying a new tooth brush? I'm sure she's too young to be into any licensed character but maybe a neat color, etc.? It's worth a shot to see if she will be more interested in one or the other.

Are you using toothpaste? You can buy flouride-free toddler toothpaste, it tastes like fruit punch or something and it might be more appealing to her to chew on a toothbrush then.

I keep an extra of his toothbrushes with his toys so that he can also "play" with it. You might be surprised that she'll pick it up again sometime.

Hmmm... these are all the suggestions I have for now but I'll come back if I think of any more.