polishing those pearly whites

As a Baby Buncher with not more than 3.5 seconds a day to spend on my own personal appearance, I would not say that I am a vain person.  The one exception is when it comes to my teeth.  My husband and I have a collective 65 years of life between us and NOT ONE cavity to show for it.  We really feel like our kids have a competitive advantage when it comes to good oral health and they have a responsibility to carry this family legacy forward, so dental hygiene is a big deal in our house.  Our babies start brushing their teeth as soon as they come in and lifelong bi-annual dental cleanings and check-ups are de rigeur. 

That's not to say that it isn't a battle to keep everyone's smiles sparkly fresh, because do remember that we have three boys ages 5 and under who are fundamentally wired to resist cooperation with any hygienic procedures.  I can deal with letting their hair stick up if they won't let me comb it or allowing mismatched clothing that they have selected themselves, but two things I cannot stand are dirty fingernails and ranky teeth.  So how exactly do I pin them down to address the teeth twice (if not more) daily?  It's not easy, but we've found a few tips that work over the years.

Now, as a Baby Buncher you may not think these tips apply to you because A) your children only have 5 teeth between the two of them and they are going to fall out in 5 years anyway, and B) brushing twice a day is a moot point because you are so sleep deprived that your life is just ONE LONG DAY.  But if for no other reason, you want to expose your kids to the routines that lead to lifelong healthy habits and good oral hygiene is one of them.  There's a few ways to make it easier on yourself AND your Bunch.

• Start early and often.  You can buy infant dental kits that have little finger brushes to massage gums and tiny, super soft toothbrushes for the very first little teeth that poke through.  We started these early, not just to knock milk residue off teeth and gums but also to get them used to having people (gently) poking and prodding their mouths.
• Have toothbrushes and toothpaste for all children at all sinks (ESPECIALLY your kitchen sink).  This is HUGE in terms of making it easier to ensure teeth actually get done as you're dashing out the door, because you don't have to run back upstairs to their bathroom to get the kid's teeth brushing gear - you've got a set everywhere you turn.  In my very early Baby Bunching days I had spare toothbrushes for myself stashed at all sinks as well, since my bedtime routine went out the window because half the time I never knew what time I would get to fall asleep and where.
• Sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice while brushing.  This is also our hand washing duration rule.  Ensures that if nothing else, they are swishing the brush around for a good while.
• Sit cross legged on the floor and have your child put their head in your lap while you brush after them.  This allows you to get a good bird's eye view of what's going on in there so you can be sure you are thorough.  My kids are such pros now that I can sit on the toilet (lid closed!) or the side of the tub and they just kind of drape themselves across my lap so I can check for "sugar bugs".
• Make it fun.  Speaking of sugar bugs, this was something I invented when my toddlers were resisting teeth brushing.  I acted completely shocked to "see" a sugar bug crawling out of their mouths because they hadn't brushed thoroughly enough and then I insisted that I be allowed to brush after them.  Gross?  Yeah.  But they thought it was hysterical and it works.  A little too well, actually - one day my oldest found a dead fly on the windowsill and told me he thought it was a sugar bug from his mouth since he'd just eaten fruit snacks.
• Visit a pediatric dentist.  Although I have a dentist that I love and I also have a very dear family friend who my kids love that is a dentist, I take them to a pediatric dentist.  The offices, staff, and often the dentist themselves are just more kid-friendly and equipped to deal with the special anxieties and needs of kids.  When should you start taking your baby?  I asked all the dentists in my life, my pediatrician, and called two pediatric dentists as well and got answers ranging from 6 months to 3 years.  I think the current American Academy of Pediatrics standard is one year.  When my oldest was one year, he barely had any teeth so I found myself wondering what a dentist would even look at.  My youngest just turned one and has a full set of chompers, so he'll be heading in with his brothers for the next checkup.  Use your judgment here, but erring on the side of early in your window of judgment, rather than later, is always good.  After all, even though baby teeth fall out, you want to be sure that good dental habits are instilled earlier in life!  Also, before taking my boys to the dentist for the first time, I dragged them with me to my checkup once so they could watch me be brave and get a cleaning.  Not sure if it helped or not, but we have never had any dental anxiety problems with our kids, so it can't hurt!

I am sure someone will point out that noticeably absent from this list are tips for flossing.  I will not lie to you.  That's because the feeling of string sliding between my teeth absolutely sickens me and I have been a lifelong resistant, and only occasional, flosser.  At my Bunch's last dental checkup, I was told to hold them down and floss, which I cannot do because the sight of floss sliding between other people's teeth (especially while they are being physically restrained) also sickens me.  Haven't quite figured out how to address this issue yet, but I'm pretty sure it will somehow involve turning the task entirely over to my husband.

So happy brushing (and flossing)!  And start saving for those tooth fairy visits because as with all things Baby Bunching, they'll be back to back!

Comments

[Rachel S]

even the little floss wands?

[Megan]

Unfortunately, I did not see the need to brush my youngest baby's teeth right when they came in. I'll admit that I didn't think it was a big deal because I hadn't started brushing my two other children's teeth until probably around 12 months. The end result: my 10 month old has weakened enamel on three of his front top teeth. The pediatric dentist says these areas will form into cavities at some point. I knew not to put my baby to sleep with a bottle in the crib, but I was NOT aware that you shouldn't put them to bed within an hour of a bottle without wiping the teeth off with a wet washcloth. I think that it was a combination of early tooth eruption (at about 4 months) at a point when he was still taking many bottle a day and having a baby who didn't use a pacifier or suck on his fingers, which would have caused him to swallow more and thus rinse off his teeth!

[Miranda]

My son is very good about brushing. We always let him see us brush and even let him brush our teeth. He came to my last visit to observe and after that we had a family visit where we all got cleaned. He was only breast fed so no bottle concerns here. Our trick these days is too say - I see some cheerios in there, let's clean it off before ants come for it. My husband also does teeth counting.

[Liz]

Thanks for this great advice! My 22 month old likes chewing on the toothbrush, but would bite down and refuse to brush. Very first time I tried the "sugar bugs" approach and she opened wide! It continues to work like magic - yay!

[Cara Fox]

Awesome, Liz - glad it helped. It may be kinda gross, but it works for us and a slightly different version works for PP Miranda, so I guess we must be on to something! : )