How to Brush Your Kids Teeth: Real Life Edition

Tips for Brushing Your Kids Teeth

Really… I get it. Brushing your kids teeth is not like in the commercials. I’m a dentist and there are times that I dread tooth brush time. There is fighting and begging and babies who hate it. But, you gotta stick it out mama! Kids don’t understand the consequences of not brushing their teeth. You should try and avoid threatening them with “You’ll get cavities and it will hurt,” or “You’ll have to get your tooth pulled.” Even though I know its tempting sometimes. Comments like that really just set them up for not wanting to go to the dentist.

Being a mom is hard enough. Here are some tips to make the dreaded toothbrushing a little easier!

  1. Start Early

Even before babe starts teething, get in the habit of using a washcloth during bath time to wipe out their mouths. This will get them used to you putting your fingers in there and desensitize them to it.

2. Use Fluoridated Toothpaste

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentists and the American Dental Association recommends using fluoridated toothpaste from the time the teeth first erupt. Use a “smear” or a “rice grain” sized amount on kids under the age of 3 and a “pea-sized” amount for kids older than 3 years old. Kids should not be simply eating the toothpaste, which is why so little is used in the beginning when kids really can’t spit well. My kids favorite flavor is the Bubble Fruit. *Bleck*

Here’s what we use and some other recommendations from Amazon:

3. Do it with them

And by “with them,” I really mean FOR them. Kids don’t have the manual dexterity to effectively clean their teeth until they are able to tie their shoes. I understand there’s those kiddos that are in the “I do it myself” phase. Totally fine. Let them do it too, but make sure you check over them. I personally let my older kids brush by themselves in the morning and I help them at night.






Kids also love to copy what your doing. So brushing your teeth together might work for your family too.

4. Make it fun!

Depending on the age of the kid, “fun” could have different meanings. For my one year olds, I love singing songs and tickling them to get them to open. For my toddlers, Blippi has a great toothbrushing song that we will watch the TV or phone. Anything to help them want to do it a little more.

5. Don’t forget to floss!

If your kids teeth touch each other, food can get stuck between them. That means you need to floss. I like flossing after brushing so that they can see what the toothbrush bristles miss.





Heres our favorite flossers:

Let me know what you think of these products! Feel free to ask me anything about kids and teeth! Best of luck getting those strong willed kids to establish good dental home care :)






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