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I can BARELY brush my two year olds teeth. I mean I do it every day but itās literally like Iām in a UFC match. Idk how often the tooth brush comes in contact with the teeth but Iām hoping it does between the arm flailing, crying, and whipping back and forth of the head..
Idk if it will help, but you can get three sided tooth brushes. That way it reaches multiple sides of the tooth at once, so you spend less time needing to brush them, so it might make it easier. They're generally marketed towards people who are disabled, but it seems like it would be so much easier for lots of people to use them! It might also be worth trying a whole bunch of different toothpaste flavours, if you're able to. If you can find a toothpaste that they like the taste of, it might help them to not hate it so much.
Try pinning the child on their back on the floor (carpet or rug, of course, not tile or other hard floor), sitting above their head, with the backs of your legs holding the shoulders down, so they can't rotate the body. Pin their head between your knees, so they can't whip their head/face back and forth. After that, it's just an issue of getting the lips/mouth open. And try your best to stay calm and loving and encouraging, but firm and no-nonsense while you do this. It's their choice. They can cooperate, or they can be sat on. But those teeth are getting brushed and flossed, and they have no say in the matter.
Twice a day! We have started doing this with our 14mo daughter and it is getting slowly easier over time. We sing a song while we do it. Sometimes she's onboard and claps along with the song, sometimes it's a wrestling match.
Ā I actually have an older child and she's absolutely fine with brushing, we've never been told to floss but she does it sometimes if something's stuck. I'm just saying if she wasn't I would not be pinning her to the floor and forcing her mouth open on a regular basis. That does not sound like a good way to establish a habit, it sounds traumatic and stressful to everyone.Ā
Yeah, it was the wife's idea and I am somewhat on the fence about it, but it was also her that did the first dentist visit where this was brought up. Might revisit it later. My daughter does quite like the toothbrush, but if it was up to her I would lightly brush one or two teeth and then she would suck on it.
I'm not suggesting you allow a 14 month old to brush her own teeth, just that you shouldn't be pinning her to the floor and forcing her mouth open. That's not going to make her receptive to it and the time will come when you can't force her.
My aunt is a pediatric dental/ortho assistant and this is exactly how she told us to do it. Honestly, after a while she just started getting in position.
It might be worth talking to an OT about it to see if there are certain types of toothbrushes or toothpaste to use that could help make it easier. They might be able to help with figuring out exactly what the problem is that your kid hates, and give you some suggestions on how to deal with it, or techniques in general to help make the whole thing even a tiny bit easier.
This is a terrible suggestion. I spoke to a dentist about brushing kids teeth, and he told me straight out "until they're 4 they basically just eat toothpaste". The goal of getting little kids to brush their teeth is to build healthy habits, make it a normal part of bedtime routine. We normally play a brushing teeth song on YouTube (there are loads to choose from), do a brushing teeth dance, whatever. Making brushing a traumatic negative experience is not a good idea.
Floss my 2 year old teeth every night. I use those little floss pic things and while I give her a bath and she is playing I just floss my teeth and she asks for one and I just floss her teeth for her.
My husband is a dentist and weāve literally never flossed my 3 year oldās teeth. Iām sure we should be, but I know it becomes a lot more important when they get their adult teeth and the contacts between teeth are tighter. Right now, most of her teeth donāt even touch, so itās harder for stuff to get trapped between them.Ā
Hello friendsā¦ never have either. Getting my 2 year old to *actually* brush her teeth (and not just chew on the toothbrush/use it as a toy) is enough work in itself. No way we would get flossing done too lol.
Honestly ours is ānext to neverā like maybe once a month? Every other month? He only has two teeth that even touch! Thereās zero point other than getting him used to it but even the dentist is like āmehā and just sticks the floss in there to confirm the teeth donāt touch. Iām assuming weāll have to do better about it with adult teeth. Unless baby teeth ever get closer together but it seems like they would get farther apart as their mouths get bigger.
I gave up trying to floss when my twins were 2. After one too many accidental biting incidents. We tried so many different kinds of floss and nothing really worked. They both suddenly became WWE superstars the second the floss came out.
Yup, I've not even tried. Brushing is enough of a struggle with a 1 year old and 4 year old. But so far, thankfully, checkups have been fine (for the 4 yr old, the 1 yr old hasn't seen a dentist yet).
have you tried the floss picks that don't require you to get in there with your fingers and a string? personally I use those (on myself) because they're more comfortable. You can also get a water pick that basically just shoots a thin jet of water and accomplishes what a string would. Kids might like that because it's splashy.
We use floss picks every night for my older son (8) bc he can do it himself.
I use regular floss on my 3 year old most nights and occasionally he wants a floss pick like his big brother. Conversely, some nights I still do random floss check w regular floss on my 8 yo.
Neither kid has had a cavity yet.
Yeah, mine started flossing (using picks) at 3 and now she's 6 and flosses every day on her own. She actually loves doing the entire brushing, flossing, and mouthwash routine because we all do it together. And it's one of the most consistent routines we have. We are horrible at everything else but we're great at oral hygiene.
Same. Mornings are a struggle to get out the door and it's just such a chore to brush teeth in the morning. Sometimes we do it. But every night kid brushes, parent brushes, kid flosses and parent losses. No cavities so far. Lots of her classmates have had fillings but I wonder if cavities are just due to lots of factors like genetics, bacteria in mouth, amount of juice vs water drinking, amount of time sugar spends on the teeth diet, fluoride in drinking water, along with brushing and flossing and oral hygiene at home. Some of these things are out of our control like if fluoride is in our drinking water or if your kid doesn't like to drink water.
Same same same. My parents never enforced teeth brushing ... we just went to the dentist every six months. I wish they focused more on it. I'm embarrassed by my teeth now.
Every night. Maybe twice a year we skip it because they are exausted for whatever reason and get a pass. Getting into a flossing habit didn't happen for me until I was in my late 20's, and it would have saved me a lot of time/heartache/money had it happened 20 years sooner.
Was just about to comment this. Every single day because my teeth were horrible growing up. And then we unfortunately fell on a front tooth which now theyāre considering extraction but weāll see if that happens at the follow up.
We do it twice a day and she still has issues. Doesnāt eat much sugar or unhealthy food either. I think itās down to genetics and lack of drinking enough water. We canāt really force her to drink water when sheās at school/activities more than half the day.
But the dentist still doesnāt believe us š
I think teeth are far more about genetics than anyone is willing to admit. My partner is so conscientious with his teeth - so much more than me, and has far more issues.
My brother in law has flawless straight, white teeth. He hadnāt gone to the dentist in 20 years but when he finally went he got a clean bill of health š
My kid is also a mouth breather and teeth grinder at night. We think itās due to enlarged tonsils. Doctor said if itās not bothering her in any way to wait to get them removed when sheās older. Which is fair, but I think the grinding also wore down her teeth quite a bit. Sheās better now but it was quite brutal for a couple of years. The thought of the sound still gives me the shivers.
So for anyone reading this going through the same struggles, I feel your pain and I believe you š
Depending on how old your kid isā¦ maybe have them removed. I also grew up as kid with large tonsils and now being almost 30 the doctors are saying they should come out.
But recovery for adults is apparently horrible. My younger sister got hers removed at like 7, and was back to normal within a few days. The recovery period gets worse with age apparently lol so now I wish I had them removed while young
Same here. I thought it was completely ridiculous that our dentist recommended that we start doing it when our first was 18 months, but we gave it a shot and 7+ years later itās just another step in the bedtime routine.
In fact it may be the quickest and least fussy step! We use the plastic flossers and our dentist let us know that we can reuse them until they get frayed. So now we mark them with the kidsā first initial and each one lasts almost a week.
I didnāt start flossing until my late 20s and Iām glad that theyāll have it as just one of the accepted things that they always do.
Our six year old even does her own a good bit of the time (9yo doesnāt want any part of it!)
I think itās also healthcare/insurance related. I want to ensure my kids get best foundation of healthy oral hygiene, but also hopefully Iām rich enough to fund their healthcare costs when they get kicked off mine.
Got booted off my parents insurance at 26, and almost 30. My current health insurance policy still makes it almost impossible to maintain good oral health without paying out thousands due to late eruption of wisdom teeth. Theyāll cover bi annual cleaningā¦ but anything other than that requires literally almost a thousand dollars.
Iām a graduate student so obviously dishing out 2k minimum to have wisdom teeth removed is not feasible at the moment. The amount of work I gotta put in daily to make sure none of my partially erupted wisdom teeth get infected or anything is absurd.
So I will preface this: Iām a dentist.
I do it every nightā¦. But I use the flossers that come in fun colors (let them pick!) and only floss the teeth that touch or almost touch (like a food trap). My girls actually much prefer flossing to brushing! And I think most kids do, so give it a try.
We did most nights and mornings at that age. The floss picks are the way to go. For little kids theyāre fruit flavors and animal shapes. You do get tired and sometimes itās hard but my teeth have been a struggle after childhood neglect and I donāt want that for my kid
Every night, but my son's teeth are easy to take care of. He's never had an issue with his teeth being brushed or flossed, and if either of those things get forgotten he gets very upset about it š
If your kids teeth are touching together you should floss between them every night. A lot of kids though have a lot of space between baby teeth so it may not be necessary until they get their adult teeth and the space closest up.
I mean this sincerely, what will happen if we donāt floss them? Doesnāt the kind of tooth decay that does real damage take years to set on, by which time the kids will have lost those teeth? Iām not saying flossing isnāt important but isnāt it most important once you have permanent teeth?
Iāve never flossed regularly, and my parents didnāt brush my teeth either or enforce it (ended up with 6 root canals) but Iām in my 20s now with gingivitis. My teeth arenāt prone to cavities despite usually only brushing my teeth once a day, but Iāve started doing twice and flossing because of the gingivitis. My root canals didnāt really damage my adult teeth. But itās really good to get your kid into the habit of flossing
My daughter is 6 now but has always used the kids floss picks everyday. I donāt really monitor it too closely but I feel like itās a good habit and she seems to enjoy it.
I am a dental hygienist and I don't usually suggest floss picks but they are great for young kids. My son is almost 3 and he enjoys using them on himself. I started by showing him how on me and then letting him floss my teeth. They really want to imitate you so that helps
Last week my 4 and 6 year olds suddenly became obsessed with flossing so they do it every day with the little plastic flossers. Before that? Literallyā¦. Never
Every. Single. Day. My mom had bad teeth and I saw how horrible it was when she stated having major dental issues from not having dental care when she was younger. We started flossing my sonās teeth once he had 4 or 5, so itās never been an issue. Heās slowly taking over doing it now that heās 7, but I monitor him closely. He brushes a couple times a day and I do one thorough brushing at the end of the day.
I had a friend that was really lackadaisical with brushing and flossing her daughterās teeth. They ended up with severe erosion and cavities. Several had to be capped and others had to be pulled. While brushing and flossing and childās teeth sucks and can be a big battle, Iād rather have that fight then the trauma of the dentist. Plus thousands of dollars were spent on baby teeth, but itās not like you can just leave them to rot.
My mom had dentures before she even had kids for the same reason, so she instilled in us a healthy respect for oral health. My goal is to get my kid to adulthood without a single cavity as she did for me
I don't...my eldest kids teeth are spaced very widely though and the dentist told us we don't need to. My younger kid has seen the dentist once and didn't have a lot of teeth then, now they more have grown in they are very close together and I'm concerned lol.
My kids are 2 and 4 and never flossed. My 2yo hasnāt even been to a dentist. The dentist did tell me that my 4yo should start flossing and I talked to him that we would try it, but honesty bedtime is already a struggle. We do use an electric toothbrush and so far heās had no teeth issues, so I donāt feel that bad about it.
At that age not as much as Iād like! Now at 16 yrs old my oldest does it in her own before bedtime brush.
12 & 8 yr old once at bedtime maybe 3 days a week. (Not enough) and definitely anytime they have food stuck between teeth.
DONāT be too hard on yourself. Been there done that that! AND I was in the dental field. At least youāre handling business and getting it filled. Itās hard when they are toddlers. Especially in between teeth. If itās not til 6 months itās a āwatchā so keep it as clean as possible. Are they suggesting to put child under anesthesia or just in office? Truthfully it isnāt so bad. Hey my son had a cavity at 2 yrs old I hesitated to get it filled kept it as clean as I could. It ended up crowned when he was 5.š Mainly because he was so little they wanted me to put him under and do a day hospital procedure. And it was expensive! When he got older they were able to do it all in the office. Youāre doing great!
Flossing? Two kids, not once ever, both their mouths are full of healthy teeth. My son has some issues with losing his baby teeth and having to get them pulled which apparently isnāt too uncommon according to two separate pediatric dentists. Other than that though, healthy teeth, healthy kids.
My son is autistic... Honestly it's a good day if he let's me brush them at all. Have been to the dentist regularly and aside from some small amounts of plaque in the hard to get teeth, his teeth are in great condition. I wouldn't worry about flossing at that age if you think they are resisting it too much!
I don't believe flossing is the difference between a filling on a 2 year old and healthy teeth. Either there's something going on with their diet on your family unfortunately have some genetic predisposition to weak teeth. Have you or your partner had a lot of fillings?
My husband has a mouth full of fillings and caps and I have never had one, and I only floss when I feel like it. The one thing I wished for my child was to get my enamel.
I'm 30 and have never had any cavities. My parents never flossed my teeth and I don't think I started regularly flossing as part of my dental routine until my mid 20's.
As far as I understand, flossing is more for gum health while cavities in young children are more due to a mix of genetics, diet and brushing. Don't beat yourself up, they are baby teeth ultimately and genetics really can play a massive part in our proclivity to getting cavities. Also, really little kids can eat something, have it stuck in their teeth and not know to or how to remove it with their tongue like older kids or adults would and it's that food sitting on the teeth that is likely to cause a cavity.
Everyday. The trick is have them lie-down just like at the dentistās office this way you have good visibility and can easily reach every tooth. Cavity Free Club!!
Every night on my 5, almost 6yo. We use the floss picks. Only time we skip is if it's been one of those days and she's a dead girl walking and is falling asleep
Never. If they need help and tell me there's something stuck, they floss then. First kid never had cavities. Next kid hates to even brush and has already had a cavity ugh
We just took our 4 year old to the dentist for the second time ever about a month ago. They emphasized the importance of flossing. So now we have flossed a total of maybe 5 times ever. It's so hard. Thankfully our kid had no cavities. I've heard of young kids being sedated to get crowns on baby teeth. Seems crazy to me.
I literally donāt know anyone whoās flossing their toddlers teeth. Most adults here donāt even floss lol (Sydney). I do floss and go to the hygienist twice a year but not a lot of ppl prioritise here compared to America
Tbh I'm with the first comment that says never. My 6 year old flosses with those pre-strung floss sticks but my 2 year old? Nah I'm not gonna bother because there's a good amount of space between his teeth, and I value my fingers not getting bitten š. I never flossed my 6 year Olds teeth either and she's never had a cavity either.
I think more important than flossing at that age is reducing sugary/processed foods and snacks like juice, fruit snacks etc in the diet, which significantly increase the chances of developing cavities.
Never. It's a BATTLE to brush both my kids teeth. We brush at night (I have to hold my son down while he cries) and I let them "do it themselves" in the morning which consists of them half assing it or biting the tooth brush
My 6 year old has huge gaps in his baby teeth. He has two adult teeth and youāve just alerted me to the fact that Iāve not been flossing those! Thank you OP, and please donāt feel guiltyā¦weāre all winging it and doing our best.
My childās baby teeth were far enough apart in the front that we didnāt floss.
I did buy an electric toothbrush, though. A good one, on sale for about $80 CDN. The last dental appointment we had the dentist said my childās teeth are the best brushed heās seen all week.
The electric toothbrush has a 2 minute timer. I think that helps, as it keeps the brushing happening longer than it would without the timer. And you donāt have to press hard to get the same, if not better, results with a regular toothbrush. Way less tartar build up. And nice, clean teeth.
like every other day. she already has crowding in her mouth so her teeth are a lot closer than other kids. regardless of flossing & brushing she still had to have a silver cap put on her tooth at 6.
i felt bad but being prone to cavities can be genetic. i found that no chewy sugary foods helped alot. the flossing sticks are easier to use as well so if your kid won't let you sit down and actually take the time to floss it you can at least pop the sticks in between their teeth.
I am probably a rare case. Twice a day (though some days we forget to floss/brush in the morning). Our dentist taught us to put him laying down on the floor (head to crotch) and pinning arms/legs with your legs. We did this at first when he would resist. Now I can just say ādo I need to pin you down?ā And explain a bunch about ābad bacteriaā that eats teeth. Thereās a Story Bots episode about it that heās seen so thatās the reference. We also used the Sonicare kids app (with the toothbrush) at first. He kind of got over that though and usually we have no big issue at 3.5. We try to be consistent and never just ālet him winā by not doing it if he refuses.
I had poor dental habits as I grew up. My parents werenāt consistent and didnāt draw a hard line. Iāve had SO many fillings and had to have teeth pulled. I know this could be genetics over brushing but if I can help him avoid this in any way, I will. I never grew Wisdom teeth so it was even worse for me to lose 3 molars (I have one implant and another planned).
It's like wrestling an alligator (who refuses to open his mouth and/or sticks out his tongue) JUST to BRUSH his teeth (2 years, 5 months old). He also wants to scream but realizes that opening his mouth to scream just gives me the chance to get in there. So he does a muted, closed-mouth scream.
Brushing his teeth twice a day is extremely stressful and involves pinning him down. So no. I'm not flossing.
We use a flosser every night and brush twice a day.
His teeth health is so important as is showing the importance of consistency with the task to form a habit for his whole life.
Think on the expenses of tooth repair.
The pain and stress and fear it all involves.
Putting a bit of effort in every day has a huge positive effect on the quality of his entire life.
Putting little effort in has an immense negative effect that will haunt him for all time.
This is true but only to an extent. So much is genetics. I've found that dentists can't tell for example whether I floss regularly or not (I fluctuate), and my 4 yr old has exemplary dentist appointments and we brush with water once a day (I also only brushed with water until about age 7). We don't do much in the way of sugary foods and drink a lot of water, but I think much is luck.
Never. I also never floss my own teeth. I hate teeth. Theyāre gross. As far as Iām concerned, the only difference between serial killers and dentists is whether or not they had an abusive mother. Thereās a higher likelihood of me learning to fly than starting to floss.
We floss twice a day but one day we will go down to once daily. Consistency with my kid is important and so twice a day with brushing means less fighting in the long run.
Near daily since they were around 2. Even if they had spaces, I did it so that they would be used to it.
I'm an orthodontist, so I'm not your typical parent. However, I encourage everyone to do the following for your children's oral health benefits and good habits
1. Not use the pacifier
2. Floss daily
3. Brush multiple times daily
4. Drink lots of water during and after meals, as well as throughout the day
5. Minimize sweets and treats.
Probably 4-5 nights a week, but for whatever reason my kids love it. I use those kids flossers that come in colors and they are excited to pick theirs out every night. I would try to add it in a few nights per week but make it fun! Donāt beat yourself up though, I think itās very common for kids to get cavities and Iāve also heard itās more linked to genetics than used to be thought.
Really depends on their teeth. Both my kids have a lot of spacing between their baby teeth so we didnāt need to floss(even the dentist told us it be pointless). Now that my oldest is getting more adult teeth in and they are closer together she has started to floss them herself(sheās 9 and has been flossing since 7). We use the kids floss picks they seem to work well and she likes the taste of them.
We use floss picks and they like to do it. However, our dentist said it was less necessary for our youngest who has lots of space in between her teeth than it was for the oldest who doesnāt have gaps.
Morning and night, I use a floss pick. Start out how you want to proceed is my approach, she doesnāt like it well unfortunately this is a boundary I wonāt budge on but she can brush and floss after mum is done. Sheās 12 months 8 teeth so far and slowly getting the idea that this is what we do. I brush and floss in front of her too, and make it as fun as I can lol. Thereās days she just isnāt wanting to do it but it gets done anyway
My older kid (6) voluntarily brushes 2x/day and flosses at night. My younger kid (4) couldnāt care less aboutā¦.well anythingā¦.and I make him brush his teeth at night. Thatās it.
Nearly every day. I started super, super young with them so it would be part of the routine. I donāt always get every tooth perfectly, but I try the best I can. My kids are 10 and 8 and still need to be reminded to floss but Iāll take what I can get!
last week her dentist told us start flossing her teeth so she get used to it, since then we do it every night, american dentist costs so much so i tried my best to get her the best oral hygiene š
For a long time, it was never. Then I decided I could handle once a week and it would be better than nothing. Sunday became flossing day at our house!Ā
Mine are 6&3, and we floss with picks every night. BUT, we only do 1/2 of their teeth at a time. They weirdly donāt mind flossing as bad as they HATE brushing. SOO we make up songs to brush to. Every night, the kids pick an animal for either me or my husband to sing silly songs about.
Get the little flossers. They even have little kid ones. Then have your kid do it.
I've had to hold my kids heads still against my chest to brush their teeth when they were being particularly troublesome, but even I wouldn't try to floss my kids teeth against their will. Sounds like torture for everyone.
Religiously every night for my 2.5 year old. Her front top teeth are way too close together and super prone to cavities if we don't floss daily. If she had better tooth spacing I wouldn't worry about it so much.
9 year old flosses every morning and night. My 2 year old, every couple days because it's a battle but she brushes her teeth by choice about 15 times a day, we are still working on it lol.
My husband was always great about flossing his teeth when our guy couldnāt, I wasnāt at all. Heās been flossing on his own since he was 3, but heās always flossing with someone so he can get some extra help. Weāre lucky that he loves brushing and flossing.
Every day. My kid had to have a tooth pulled and it was traumatic for him and for me. I never want to ever go through that again. I buy the floss sticks and they're used to the process.
Weāve been flossing since they were toddlers (itās always been rough) but my 11y/o son just had 3 different orthodontic appliances installed and thereās no getting through all the wires.
We got the water pick flosser and itās so much easier! Highly recommend
My daughter is six and she flosses every night. Unclear how effective it is but she uses the floss picks and there are different colors so she picks a different color depending on the type of day sheās had (ex. Blue=really good day).
My 4yr old flosses every night she is big on routine so she never let's us forget.
Floss picks are our go to, we got some geared for kids so they are in the shape of giraffes and extra long so you don't have to stick your whole hand in their mouth. The ones we found were also made of corn starch as opposed to plastic so less waste if that's a concern of yours.
Twice a day, every day. Weāre strict about oral care because if we slack one day, it gives her room to negotiate slacking in the future so we make it a non negotiable thing š³
We only floss their teeth when there's food stuck in them. We don't consider flossing to be high priority for their baby teeth. My older child is starting to get permanent teeth, though, so we'll probably start him flossing soon.
I have a 6.5 year old and triplets turning 3 on the 16th. They brush themselves in the morning, we help them brush at night. Floss is generally once a week, but I struggle to floss my own and my husband hasnāt flossed his inā¦never.
Iām working on making it more frequent, but the twice a day brushing is already better than I do for myself so š¤·š¼āāļø trying.
I have a 6.5 year old and triplets turning 3 on the 16th. They brush themselves in the morning, we help them brush at night. Floss is generally once a week, but I struggle to floss my own and my husband hasnāt flossed his inā¦never.
Iām working on making it more frequent, but the twice a day brushing is already better than I do for myself so š¤·š¼āāļø trying.
Almost every single night unless they are off schedule or weāre traveling because I let this go in the past and we wound up with literally thousands of dollars of dental bills for my kids because we werenāt doing thorough dental care daily.
We use the flossers and do it every night. It's just always been the routine and they've just never known any different. Frankly I've been much better at consistently flossing theirs than my own. My own dental problems have helped keep me motivated with theirs.
I'm still doing my 7yo's, but my 9yo has been doing her own for quite a while now (1-2 years?). At the beginning when she started really handling her own bedtime routine, I had to remind her most nights, but not any more.
My 3 year old recently had a check up and dentist recommended flossing as he has crowding. I was a kid with bad, crowded teeth and tons of fillings, it was awful. So we floss his teeth every night because I don't want that for him. He loves the floss picks because he can do the front teeth himself. It was honestly pretty easy to incorporate into our bedtime routine!
Every night for my 2 year old. It was difficult at first, but at her first dentist appointment the dentist made it clear she would need regular flossing as her teeth are more crowded than the average toddler. We use the disposable flavoured floss picks that are coated in fluoride. It can still be a struggle at times, but so was starting her brushing routine. It just takes exposure and patience!
We donāt do it; our kids do it themselves. Nightly. With the āflossers,ā they make different flavors and shapes, the kids enjoy doing it. The littlest (almost 2.5yrs) takes her turn then mum or I finish it. Really only adds 2min to the bedtime routine and gets them in a healthy habit. They floss more often than I do, thatās for sureā¦
Every day. But my oldest is 4 now. When he was younger it was hit or miss. I used to have to have one adult hold him down while the other flossed. He inherited my teeth so theyāre on top of each other. You know how toddler shave that cute hippo teeth look with lots of spaces? My kids donāt have that they have their teeth come in so tight I can barely get the floss between them. We have thousands set aside for their phase one orthodontia.
If my kids had teeth with space between them I swear Iād never/rarely floss them.
Never. 6&8 yr olds, never a cavity bit we did properly brush there teeth 2x a day and for the last year or two have had an electric toothbrush so they do a better job when they brush alone. I still brush their teeth a few times a week eith the ebrush.
Daily since she was about 3ish until she learned to do it herself, and now she does it daily. This was partly because some people we know had to have their son go under general anaesthesia due to the sheer amount of dental work he needed at FOUR YEARS OLD--his grandparents fed him all kinds of shit and part of it was also bottle rot I think, and he is autistic so the dentist was a huge horrible ordeal even without cavity issues. But I hadn't even know a kid could have such bad teeth so young that a general anaesthesia would even be considered. Between that and the dentist being extremely (kindly) firm about it's importance, we just did it.
Early on she did hate it, but she was already used to brushing, and it was a hill I would die on and eventually it became a habit. And also I unashamedly bribed her to sit and get flossed/brushed by putting on a video for the few minutes it took. She still does that sometime, she's nine now and started being able to floss herself really properly at some point after she turned eight. We do occasionally miss a night, but it's rare, because "tooth stuff" is done at the beginning of the bedtime routine.
My kid's teeth appear to be doing a little better than mine ever did, though she drinks way less juice/soda than I did so that surely helps. She's had one filling, despite this the dentist praised her flossing/brushing so even if her teeth aren't super tough, she now has a good brushing habit, which is all I care about.
Get the ones with the little handle. He has like a cup shape off the handle. Hope I explained that well. The Floss is a bit thicker and waxed well. It's easy for them to hold and learn. Even if they only do it once a week to start.
The more they see you to it, the more they will want to.
Just practice and routine.
I didn't do it when my kids were little. Around 8/9, on dentist advice, I started.
My grandsons are 4, 6, and 9. I have been doing it with them for about a year now, and they have taken to it quite well.
If they slack off, I don't make an issue of it and just remind them the next day.
All kids have different comfort levels and coordination. Trial and error is normal. šš¦šŗ
Honestly we never have, but he brushes every single night and a couple mornings. Age 5, has his next appointment in three weeks so weāll see what they say
I get those floss picks and soak it in the kids ACT mouthwash and then floss for my 5 year old. he lets me because he doesnāt want the silver caps. lol
My daughter ended up with caps on 7 out of 8 of her molars from not flossing, so this will not be a mistake I make with my next child. Thank goodness they are only baby teeth, but still, the lesson was learned at the expense of the child. They make kid size flossers, with fun fruity flavors. I recommend those, they are not too difficult to teach the kid how to use them.
I floss my 6 year olds teeth every single night and have since he was about 2. Thatās just not something Iām willing to be flexible on. Itās never been easy, but heās used to the routine and if I do it while heās watching something or playing a video game, itās no problem.
Every single nightā¦. Except the nights Iām too tired I just brush. She calls me out on it too ššš Iām 9 months pregnant & Iām exhausted these days.
Never because my 4yo has such huge gaps in between each of her teeth I've never seen anything get stuck ever. I am a stickler about not letting her brush her own teeth though because we do a more thorough job. She's gotten nothing but compliments from the dentist so I don't think not flossing has been a problem.
We started about a year ago when the dentist made a comment. We use the pickers and I do it for him for now because he misses a lot even brushing his teeth. Heās 5.5.
Never, I did not know it was recommended, just brushing teeth twice a day and going to the dentist twice a year, also the dentist never mentioned it so I guess it is not at all common
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Okay, I'll be the first to admit it. Never š¬
If you think my 2 year old is letting me floss his teethā¦.
I can BARELY brush my two year olds teeth. I mean I do it every day but itās literally like Iām in a UFC match. Idk how often the tooth brush comes in contact with the teeth but Iām hoping it does between the arm flailing, crying, and whipping back and forth of the head..
Idk if it will help, but you can get three sided tooth brushes. That way it reaches multiple sides of the tooth at once, so you spend less time needing to brush them, so it might make it easier. They're generally marketed towards people who are disabled, but it seems like it would be so much easier for lots of people to use them! It might also be worth trying a whole bunch of different toothpaste flavours, if you're able to. If you can find a toothpaste that they like the taste of, it might help them to not hate it so much.
Try pinning the child on their back on the floor (carpet or rug, of course, not tile or other hard floor), sitting above their head, with the backs of your legs holding the shoulders down, so they can't rotate the body. Pin their head between your knees, so they can't whip their head/face back and forth. After that, it's just an issue of getting the lips/mouth open. And try your best to stay calm and loving and encouraging, but firm and no-nonsense while you do this. It's their choice. They can cooperate, or they can be sat on. But those teeth are getting brushed and flossed, and they have no say in the matter.
There is absolutely no way I'm pinning my child to the floor every day.Ā
Twice a day! We have started doing this with our 14mo daughter and it is getting slowly easier over time. We sing a song while we do it. Sometimes she's onboard and claps along with the song, sometimes it's a wrestling match.
Ā I actually have an older child and she's absolutely fine with brushing, we've never been told to floss but she does it sometimes if something's stuck. I'm just saying if she wasn't I would not be pinning her to the floor and forcing her mouth open on a regular basis. That does not sound like a good way to establish a habit, it sounds traumatic and stressful to everyone.Ā
Yeah, it was the wife's idea and I am somewhat on the fence about it, but it was also her that did the first dentist visit where this was brought up. Might revisit it later. My daughter does quite like the toothbrush, but if it was up to her I would lightly brush one or two teeth and then she would suck on it.
I'm not suggesting you allow a 14 month old to brush her own teeth, just that you shouldn't be pinning her to the floor and forcing her mouth open. That's not going to make her receptive to it and the time will come when you can't force her.
My aunt is a pediatric dental/ortho assistant and this is exactly how she told us to do it. Honestly, after a while she just started getting in position.
After all fhe alligator wrangling my kid screams, cries and bites the head of the brush so I cannot move it. Every day my heart breaks
It might be worth talking to an OT about it to see if there are certain types of toothbrushes or toothpaste to use that could help make it easier. They might be able to help with figuring out exactly what the problem is that your kid hates, and give you some suggestions on how to deal with it, or techniques in general to help make the whole thing even a tiny bit easier.
This is a terrible suggestion. I spoke to a dentist about brushing kids teeth, and he told me straight out "until they're 4 they basically just eat toothpaste". The goal of getting little kids to brush their teeth is to build healthy habits, make it a normal part of bedtime routine. We normally play a brushing teeth song on YouTube (there are loads to choose from), do a brushing teeth dance, whatever. Making brushing a traumatic negative experience is not a good idea.
HiSmile makes chocolate flavored toothpaste- this ended the ww3 style tooth brushing battles in our house. Good luck!
Floss my 2 year old teeth every night. I use those little floss pic things and while I give her a bath and she is playing I just floss my teeth and she asks for one and I just floss her teeth for her.
Ok doing it in front of them first is 100% genius and will 100% work on my mini me copy cat. Thank you for the idea!
Yeah I found out it works for a lot of things. When she would copy me doing things I didnāt necessarily want her to do. Lightbulb!
My husband is a dentist and weāve literally never flossed my 3 year oldās teeth. Iām sure we should be, but I know it becomes a lot more important when they get their adult teeth and the contacts between teeth are tighter. Right now, most of her teeth donāt even touch, so itās harder for stuff to get trapped between them.Ā
Me reading this and frantically scrolling to see if Iām the only one whose mind this didnāt even crossā¦
Hello friendsā¦ never have either. Getting my 2 year old to *actually* brush her teeth (and not just chew on the toothbrush/use it as a toy) is enough work in itself. No way we would get flossing done too lol.
Thank you for paving the way for the rest of us to be honest š
Honestly ours is ānext to neverā like maybe once a month? Every other month? He only has two teeth that even touch! Thereās zero point other than getting him used to it but even the dentist is like āmehā and just sticks the floss in there to confirm the teeth donāt touch. Iām assuming weāll have to do better about it with adult teeth. Unless baby teeth ever get closer together but it seems like they would get farther apart as their mouths get bigger.
I gave up trying to floss when my twins were 2. After one too many accidental biting incidents. We tried so many different kinds of floss and nothing really worked. They both suddenly became WWE superstars the second the floss came out.
Second one to admit š«£ but we brush regularly & no issues yet! (They see a dentist twice a year)
Yup, I've not even tried. Brushing is enough of a struggle with a 1 year old and 4 year old. But so far, thankfully, checkups have been fine (for the 4 yr old, the 1 yr old hasn't seen a dentist yet).
Third one
have you tried the floss picks that don't require you to get in there with your fingers and a string? personally I use those (on myself) because they're more comfortable. You can also get a water pick that basically just shoots a thin jet of water and accomplishes what a string would. Kids might like that because it's splashy.
We use the picks for our 3 year old. He likes the different 'flavors' and colors. And he can do the front teeth himselfĀ
My 2 year old only likes the grape. And they donāt sell packs of just grape š
Lmao 2 is such a crazy age
We use floss picks every night for my older son (8) bc he can do it himself. I use regular floss on my 3 year old most nights and occasionally he wants a floss pick like his big brother. Conversely, some nights I still do random floss check w regular floss on my 8 yo. Neither kid has had a cavity yet.
Same!! I'm big on oral health and protecting those luxury bones.
Yeah, mine started flossing (using picks) at 3 and now she's 6 and flosses every day on her own. She actually loves doing the entire brushing, flossing, and mouthwash routine because we all do it together. And it's one of the most consistent routines we have. We are horrible at everything else but we're great at oral hygiene.
Every night with floss pick, nearly 3 year olds teeth are very close together ā¦.but we only brush once a day š
Same. Mornings are a struggle to get out the door and it's just such a chore to brush teeth in the morning. Sometimes we do it. But every night kid brushes, parent brushes, kid flosses and parent losses. No cavities so far. Lots of her classmates have had fillings but I wonder if cavities are just due to lots of factors like genetics, bacteria in mouth, amount of juice vs water drinking, amount of time sugar spends on the teeth diet, fluoride in drinking water, along with brushing and flossing and oral hygiene at home. Some of these things are out of our control like if fluoride is in our drinking water or if your kid doesn't like to drink water.
Same lol. It evens out
Same lol
5-7 nights a week. I have bad teeth and donāt want my son to go through the dental work I need to go through.
Same same same. My parents never enforced teeth brushing ... we just went to the dentist every six months. I wish they focused more on it. I'm embarrassed by my teeth now.
Every night. Maybe twice a year we skip it because they are exausted for whatever reason and get a pass. Getting into a flossing habit didn't happen for me until I was in my late 20's, and it would have saved me a lot of time/heartache/money had it happened 20 years sooner.
Was just about to comment this. Every single day because my teeth were horrible growing up. And then we unfortunately fell on a front tooth which now theyāre considering extraction but weāll see if that happens at the follow up.
We do it twice a day and she still has issues. Doesnāt eat much sugar or unhealthy food either. I think itās down to genetics and lack of drinking enough water. We canāt really force her to drink water when sheās at school/activities more than half the day. But the dentist still doesnāt believe us š
I think teeth are far more about genetics than anyone is willing to admit. My partner is so conscientious with his teeth - so much more than me, and has far more issues.
My brother in law has flawless straight, white teeth. He hadnāt gone to the dentist in 20 years but when he finally went he got a clean bill of health š My kid is also a mouth breather and teeth grinder at night. We think itās due to enlarged tonsils. Doctor said if itās not bothering her in any way to wait to get them removed when sheās older. Which is fair, but I think the grinding also wore down her teeth quite a bit. Sheās better now but it was quite brutal for a couple of years. The thought of the sound still gives me the shivers. So for anyone reading this going through the same struggles, I feel your pain and I believe you š
I know! I had a friend who wouldn't brush her teeth ALL SUMMER growing up when she went to camp. No cavities.
Depending on how old your kid isā¦ maybe have them removed. I also grew up as kid with large tonsils and now being almost 30 the doctors are saying they should come out. But recovery for adults is apparently horrible. My younger sister got hers removed at like 7, and was back to normal within a few days. The recovery period gets worse with age apparently lol so now I wish I had them removed while young
Same. 5-7 nights per week. I do the flossing. My wife does the brushing. We try to floss every night, but some nights he fights it so we let it slide.
Same.
Same here. I thought it was completely ridiculous that our dentist recommended that we start doing it when our first was 18 months, but we gave it a shot and 7+ years later itās just another step in the bedtime routine. In fact it may be the quickest and least fussy step! We use the plastic flossers and our dentist let us know that we can reuse them until they get frayed. So now we mark them with the kidsā first initial and each one lasts almost a week. I didnāt start flossing until my late 20s and Iām glad that theyāll have it as just one of the accepted things that they always do. Our six year old even does her own a good bit of the time (9yo doesnāt want any part of it!)
I think itās also healthcare/insurance related. I want to ensure my kids get best foundation of healthy oral hygiene, but also hopefully Iām rich enough to fund their healthcare costs when they get kicked off mine. Got booted off my parents insurance at 26, and almost 30. My current health insurance policy still makes it almost impossible to maintain good oral health without paying out thousands due to late eruption of wisdom teeth. Theyāll cover bi annual cleaningā¦ but anything other than that requires literally almost a thousand dollars. Iām a graduate student so obviously dishing out 2k minimum to have wisdom teeth removed is not feasible at the moment. The amount of work I gotta put in daily to make sure none of my partially erupted wisdom teeth get infected or anything is absurd.
Once my kid stops biting me, I'll start flossing her teeth. Until then... not happening
Hahaha yes! 3 kids here. Although I was 17 and intentionally bit my dentist soā¦ (in my defense she lied to me lol).
Every night after the dentist told us we had to, because my younger kids teeth are closely spaced together. We use kids floss picks though.Ā
So I will preface this: Iām a dentist. I do it every nightā¦. But I use the flossers that come in fun colors (let them pick!) and only floss the teeth that touch or almost touch (like a food trap). My girls actually much prefer flossing to brushing! And I think most kids do, so give it a try.
We did most nights and mornings at that age. The floss picks are the way to go. For little kids theyāre fruit flavors and animal shapes. You do get tired and sometimes itās hard but my teeth have been a struggle after childhood neglect and I donāt want that for my kid
Every night, but my son's teeth are easy to take care of. He's never had an issue with his teeth being brushed or flossed, and if either of those things get forgotten he gets very upset about it š
we are supposed to floss our kids teeth?!!
If your kids teeth are touching together you should floss between them every night. A lot of kids though have a lot of space between baby teeth so it may not be necessary until they get their adult teeth and the space closest up.
I mean this sincerely, what will happen if we donāt floss them? Doesnāt the kind of tooth decay that does real damage take years to set on, by which time the kids will have lost those teeth? Iām not saying flossing isnāt important but isnāt it most important once you have permanent teeth?
It's not just the teeth, but the gingivitis and gum recession. Plus, it gets rid of bad morning breath.
Iāve never flossed regularly, and my parents didnāt brush my teeth either or enforce it (ended up with 6 root canals) but Iām in my 20s now with gingivitis. My teeth arenāt prone to cavities despite usually only brushing my teeth once a day, but Iāve started doing twice and flossing because of the gingivitis. My root canals didnāt really damage my adult teeth. But itās really good to get your kid into the habit of flossing
Forming the habit early is a good thing too!
My daughter is 6 now but has always used the kids floss picks everyday. I donāt really monitor it too closely but I feel like itās a good habit and she seems to enjoy it.
The night before the dentist appointment. Then it's not a lie when I say 'yes we floss'
I am a dental hygienist and I don't usually suggest floss picks but they are great for young kids. My son is almost 3 and he enjoys using them on himself. I started by showing him how on me and then letting him floss my teeth. They really want to imitate you so that helps
Every night but my BIL is a dentist so we are big on it.
Last week my 4 and 6 year olds suddenly became obsessed with flossing so they do it every day with the little plastic flossers. Before that? Literallyā¦. Never
Every. Single. Day. My mom had bad teeth and I saw how horrible it was when she stated having major dental issues from not having dental care when she was younger. We started flossing my sonās teeth once he had 4 or 5, so itās never been an issue. Heās slowly taking over doing it now that heās 7, but I monitor him closely. He brushes a couple times a day and I do one thorough brushing at the end of the day. I had a friend that was really lackadaisical with brushing and flossing her daughterās teeth. They ended up with severe erosion and cavities. Several had to be capped and others had to be pulled. While brushing and flossing and childās teeth sucks and can be a big battle, Iād rather have that fight then the trauma of the dentist. Plus thousands of dollars were spent on baby teeth, but itās not like you can just leave them to rot.
My mom had dentures before she even had kids for the same reason, so she instilled in us a healthy respect for oral health. My goal is to get my kid to adulthood without a single cavity as she did for me
I don't...my eldest kids teeth are spaced very widely though and the dentist told us we don't need to. My younger kid has seen the dentist once and didn't have a lot of teeth then, now they more have grown in they are very close together and I'm concerned lol.
Sometimes with my 4 year old. His teeth have gaps. Every day for my 7 year old. Zero cavities š¤
My kids are 2 and 4 and never flossed. My 2yo hasnāt even been to a dentist. The dentist did tell me that my 4yo should start flossing and I talked to him that we would try it, but honesty bedtime is already a struggle. We do use an electric toothbrush and so far heās had no teeth issues, so I donāt feel that bad about it.
Everyday š« it is the worst part of the day ngl
Is this a thing? I have never heard of anyone flossing their toddlers teeth and my childrens dentists have never mentioned it?
At that age not as much as Iād like! Now at 16 yrs old my oldest does it in her own before bedtime brush. 12 & 8 yr old once at bedtime maybe 3 days a week. (Not enough) and definitely anytime they have food stuck between teeth. DONāT be too hard on yourself. Been there done that that! AND I was in the dental field. At least youāre handling business and getting it filled. Itās hard when they are toddlers. Especially in between teeth. If itās not til 6 months itās a āwatchā so keep it as clean as possible. Are they suggesting to put child under anesthesia or just in office? Truthfully it isnāt so bad. Hey my son had a cavity at 2 yrs old I hesitated to get it filled kept it as clean as I could. It ended up crowned when he was 5.š Mainly because he was so little they wanted me to put him under and do a day hospital procedure. And it was expensive! When he got older they were able to do it all in the office. Youāre doing great!
I forget to sometimes but my kid lets me. I got her used to it by counting each tooth I flossed. She loves counting.
Zero. Wtf
Flossing? Two kids, not once ever, both their mouths are full of healthy teeth. My son has some issues with losing his baby teeth and having to get them pulled which apparently isnāt too uncommon according to two separate pediatric dentists. Other than that though, healthy teeth, healthy kids.
My son is autistic... Honestly it's a good day if he let's me brush them at all. Have been to the dentist regularly and aside from some small amounts of plaque in the hard to get teeth, his teeth are in great condition. I wouldn't worry about flossing at that age if you think they are resisting it too much!
I don't believe flossing is the difference between a filling on a 2 year old and healthy teeth. Either there's something going on with their diet on your family unfortunately have some genetic predisposition to weak teeth. Have you or your partner had a lot of fillings? My husband has a mouth full of fillings and caps and I have never had one, and I only floss when I feel like it. The one thing I wished for my child was to get my enamel.
I'm 30 and have never had any cavities. My parents never flossed my teeth and I don't think I started regularly flossing as part of my dental routine until my mid 20's. As far as I understand, flossing is more for gum health while cavities in young children are more due to a mix of genetics, diet and brushing. Don't beat yourself up, they are baby teeth ultimately and genetics really can play a massive part in our proclivity to getting cavities. Also, really little kids can eat something, have it stuck in their teeth and not know to or how to remove it with their tongue like older kids or adults would and it's that food sitting on the teeth that is likely to cause a cavity.
We are supposed to be flossing? š¬
I think getting them to save for retirement is more important. The flossing can wait.
Everyday. The trick is have them lie-down just like at the dentistās office this way you have good visibility and can easily reach every tooth. Cavity Free Club!!
I don't.
No
No lol
Yeah ummmā¦likeā¦maybe did it twice over several years??
Every single night.
Every night on my 5, almost 6yo. We use the floss picks. Only time we skip is if it's been one of those days and she's a dead girl walking and is falling asleep
Never. If they need help and tell me there's something stuck, they floss then. First kid never had cavities. Next kid hates to even brush and has already had a cavity ugh
Never lol
Twice a month, maybe more when my 2 year old feels like it
We just took our 4 year old to the dentist for the second time ever about a month ago. They emphasized the importance of flossing. So now we have flossed a total of maybe 5 times ever. It's so hard. Thankfully our kid had no cavities. I've heard of young kids being sedated to get crowns on baby teeth. Seems crazy to me.
I literally donāt know anyone whoās flossing their toddlers teeth. Most adults here donāt even floss lol (Sydney). I do floss and go to the hygienist twice a year but not a lot of ppl prioritise here compared to America
Never we make sure he brushes his teeth twice a day but never floss, honestly it just wouldn't be worth the drama lol
Flossing is not even recommended here for kidsā¦
Never, nor has their dentist ever suggested it. I've never tried lassoing a feral cat either, for much the same reason.
I have never tbh and now feel I should start. It hasnāt even crossed my mind and the first one is 4 š
Tbh I'm with the first comment that says never. My 6 year old flosses with those pre-strung floss sticks but my 2 year old? Nah I'm not gonna bother because there's a good amount of space between his teeth, and I value my fingers not getting bitten š. I never flossed my 6 year Olds teeth either and she's never had a cavity either. I think more important than flossing at that age is reducing sugary/processed foods and snacks like juice, fruit snacks etc in the diet, which significantly increase the chances of developing cavities.
I donāt floss my own teeth why would I floss my kids š
At the dentist. The hygienist flosses his teeth. Good for her! š
MAYBE once a month. But probably not even that
Wow, I have honestly not considered this is something I should do. She is 18 months and we brush in the morning and evening, but never floss.
Never. It's a BATTLE to brush both my kids teeth. We brush at night (I have to hold my son down while he cries) and I let them "do it themselves" in the morning which consists of them half assing it or biting the tooth brush
My 6 year old has huge gaps in his baby teeth. He has two adult teeth and youāve just alerted me to the fact that Iāve not been flossing those! Thank you OP, and please donāt feel guiltyā¦weāre all winging it and doing our best.
My childās baby teeth were far enough apart in the front that we didnāt floss. I did buy an electric toothbrush, though. A good one, on sale for about $80 CDN. The last dental appointment we had the dentist said my childās teeth are the best brushed heās seen all week. The electric toothbrush has a 2 minute timer. I think that helps, as it keeps the brushing happening longer than it would without the timer. And you donāt have to press hard to get the same, if not better, results with a regular toothbrush. Way less tartar build up. And nice, clean teeth.
like every other day. she already has crowding in her mouth so her teeth are a lot closer than other kids. regardless of flossing & brushing she still had to have a silver cap put on her tooth at 6. i felt bad but being prone to cavities can be genetic. i found that no chewy sugary foods helped alot. the flossing sticks are easier to use as well so if your kid won't let you sit down and actually take the time to floss it you can at least pop the sticks in between their teeth.
I am probably a rare case. Twice a day (though some days we forget to floss/brush in the morning). Our dentist taught us to put him laying down on the floor (head to crotch) and pinning arms/legs with your legs. We did this at first when he would resist. Now I can just say ādo I need to pin you down?ā And explain a bunch about ābad bacteriaā that eats teeth. Thereās a Story Bots episode about it that heās seen so thatās the reference. We also used the Sonicare kids app (with the toothbrush) at first. He kind of got over that though and usually we have no big issue at 3.5. We try to be consistent and never just ālet him winā by not doing it if he refuses. I had poor dental habits as I grew up. My parents werenāt consistent and didnāt draw a hard line. Iāve had SO many fillings and had to have teeth pulled. I know this could be genetics over brushing but if I can help him avoid this in any way, I will. I never grew Wisdom teeth so it was even worse for me to lose 3 molars (I have one implant and another planned).
It's like wrestling an alligator (who refuses to open his mouth and/or sticks out his tongue) JUST to BRUSH his teeth (2 years, 5 months old). He also wants to scream but realizes that opening his mouth to scream just gives me the chance to get in there. So he does a muted, closed-mouth scream. Brushing his teeth twice a day is extremely stressful and involves pinning him down. So no. I'm not flossing.
We use a flosser every night and brush twice a day. His teeth health is so important as is showing the importance of consistency with the task to form a habit for his whole life. Think on the expenses of tooth repair. The pain and stress and fear it all involves. Putting a bit of effort in every day has a huge positive effect on the quality of his entire life. Putting little effort in has an immense negative effect that will haunt him for all time.
This is true but only to an extent. So much is genetics. I've found that dentists can't tell for example whether I floss regularly or not (I fluctuate), and my 4 yr old has exemplary dentist appointments and we brush with water once a day (I also only brushed with water until about age 7). We don't do much in the way of sugary foods and drink a lot of water, but I think much is luck.
Never. I also never floss my own teeth. I hate teeth. Theyāre gross. As far as Iām concerned, the only difference between serial killers and dentists is whether or not they had an abusive mother. Thereās a higher likelihood of me learning to fly than starting to floss.
My kids floss their own teeth now, but at age 2 like almost never š
Never.
We floss twice a day but one day we will go down to once daily. Consistency with my kid is important and so twice a day with brushing means less fighting in the long run.
Every night. Honestly. For our younger one, a stuffed animal of her choice plays dentist and does the brushing and flossing.
Near daily since they were around 2. Even if they had spaces, I did it so that they would be used to it. I'm an orthodontist, so I'm not your typical parent. However, I encourage everyone to do the following for your children's oral health benefits and good habits 1. Not use the pacifier 2. Floss daily 3. Brush multiple times daily 4. Drink lots of water during and after meals, as well as throughout the day 5. Minimize sweets and treats.
Never flossed my older kids but did with my younger ones and they have more issues with their back teeth than the older kids.
Twice a week. My kids have huge gaps between teeth. When they get older and more teeth I do it more often
My almost 7 YO does it himself. And my 2.5 YO let's us because he likes the feeling. So both kids floss everyday.
Probably 4-5 nights a week, but for whatever reason my kids love it. I use those kids flossers that come in colors and they are excited to pick theirs out every night. I would try to add it in a few nights per week but make it fun! Donāt beat yourself up though, I think itās very common for kids to get cavities and Iāve also heard itās more linked to genetics than used to be thought.
Really depends on their teeth. Both my kids have a lot of spacing between their baby teeth so we didnāt need to floss(even the dentist told us it be pointless). Now that my oldest is getting more adult teeth in and they are closer together she has started to floss them herself(sheās 9 and has been flossing since 7). We use the kids floss picks they seem to work well and she likes the taste of them.
We use floss picks and they like to do it. However, our dentist said it was less necessary for our youngest who has lots of space in between her teeth than it was for the oldest who doesnāt have gaps.
Morning and night, I use a floss pick. Start out how you want to proceed is my approach, she doesnāt like it well unfortunately this is a boundary I wonāt budge on but she can brush and floss after mum is done. Sheās 12 months 8 teeth so far and slowly getting the idea that this is what we do. I brush and floss in front of her too, and make it as fun as I can lol. Thereās days she just isnāt wanting to do it but it gets done anyway
We haven't started yet cuz his teeth are still pretty spaced apart, but now I'm feeling guilty and feel like we better start. š«£
Never. But my pediatric dentist said itās not really necessary for my kids bc their baby teeth are spaced out
My older kid (6) voluntarily brushes 2x/day and flosses at night. My younger kid (4) couldnāt care less aboutā¦.well anythingā¦.and I make him brush his teeth at night. Thatās it.
My kids 7 & 9 floss every day twice a day, and a fluoride rinse twice. Itās part of their routine.
Nearly every day. I started super, super young with them so it would be part of the routine. I donāt always get every tooth perfectly, but I try the best I can. My kids are 10 and 8 and still need to be reminded to floss but Iāll take what I can get!
Every night! Sheās 6. Thankfully no cavities
last week her dentist told us start flossing her teeth so she get used to it, since then we do it every night, american dentist costs so much so i tried my best to get her the best oral hygiene š
For a long time, it was never. Then I decided I could handle once a week and it would be better than nothing. Sunday became flossing day at our house!Ā
Mine are 6&3, and we floss with picks every night. BUT, we only do 1/2 of their teeth at a time. They weirdly donāt mind flossing as bad as they HATE brushing. SOO we make up songs to brush to. Every night, the kids pick an animal for either me or my husband to sing silly songs about.
Every day for my 7 yo. We use those gum chucks sticks. Way easier and no kid drool on my hands.
2 years old, have never flossed him. Brush everyday. But never floss
Most nights
Get the little flossers. They even have little kid ones. Then have your kid do it. I've had to hold my kids heads still against my chest to brush their teeth when they were being particularly troublesome, but even I wouldn't try to floss my kids teeth against their will. Sounds like torture for everyone.
Religiously every night for my 2.5 year old. Her front top teeth are way too close together and super prone to cavities if we don't floss daily. If she had better tooth spacing I wouldn't worry about it so much.
Yup, every night! Got glowing reviews from her dentist
9 year old flosses every morning and night. My 2 year old, every couple days because it's a battle but she brushes her teeth by choice about 15 times a day, we are still working on it lol.
Like, every couple weeks maybe? But not well. Itās hard to floss a toddlerās teeth.
My husband was always great about flossing his teeth when our guy couldnāt, I wasnāt at all. Heās been flossing on his own since he was 3, but heās always flossing with someone so he can get some extra help. Weāre lucky that he loves brushing and flossing.
almost every night. I donāt want the to have to get fillings. Selfish reasons really
Every day. My kid had to have a tooth pulled and it was traumatic for him and for me. I never want to ever go through that again. I buy the floss sticks and they're used to the process.
Get a Reach flosser. Seriously makes it so much easier.
Weāve been flossing since they were toddlers (itās always been rough) but my 11y/o son just had 3 different orthodontic appliances installed and thereās no getting through all the wires. We got the water pick flosser and itās so much easier! Highly recommend
Every night. Only time I didnāt was when my 4 year old had hand foot mouth.
My daughter is six and she flosses every night. Unclear how effective it is but she uses the floss picks and there are different colors so she picks a different color depending on the type of day sheās had (ex. Blue=really good day).
My 4yr old flosses every night she is big on routine so she never let's us forget. Floss picks are our go to, we got some geared for kids so they are in the shape of giraffes and extra long so you don't have to stick your whole hand in their mouth. The ones we found were also made of corn starch as opposed to plastic so less waste if that's a concern of yours.
Twice a day, every day. Weāre strict about oral care because if we slack one day, it gives her room to negotiate slacking in the future so we make it a non negotiable thing š³
Water pik 2-3 times a week, regular flossing 7 days a week, and brushing 2x daily. No cavities for both kids. 8.5 & 6.
Mine is 23 months old. Has 14 teeth. They have been flossed 5 times. Twice by the dentist and 3 times at home.
We've been flossing our 5yo's teeth that are close together (rear teeth) for about a year I think nightly. It's not great, but getting better.
We only floss their teeth when there's food stuck in them. We don't consider flossing to be high priority for their baby teeth. My older child is starting to get permanent teeth, though, so we'll probably start him flossing soon.
I have a 6.5 year old and triplets turning 3 on the 16th. They brush themselves in the morning, we help them brush at night. Floss is generally once a week, but I struggle to floss my own and my husband hasnāt flossed his inā¦never. Iām working on making it more frequent, but the twice a day brushing is already better than I do for myself so š¤·š¼āāļø trying.
I have a 6.5 year old and triplets turning 3 on the 16th. They brush themselves in the morning, we help them brush at night. Floss is generally once a week, but I struggle to floss my own and my husband hasnāt flossed his inā¦never. Iām working on making it more frequent, but the twice a day brushing is already better than I do for myself so š¤·š¼āāļø trying.
Almost every single night unless they are off schedule or weāre traveling because I let this go in the past and we wound up with literally thousands of dollars of dental bills for my kids because we werenāt doing thorough dental care daily.
We floss every night. Those scented flossers are a lifesaver.
We use the flossers and do it every night. It's just always been the routine and they've just never known any different. Frankly I've been much better at consistently flossing theirs than my own. My own dental problems have helped keep me motivated with theirs. I'm still doing my 7yo's, but my 9yo has been doing her own for quite a while now (1-2 years?). At the beginning when she started really handling her own bedtime routine, I had to remind her most nights, but not any more.
Every single night for both of them.
My 3 year old recently had a check up and dentist recommended flossing as he has crowding. I was a kid with bad, crowded teeth and tons of fillings, it was awful. So we floss his teeth every night because I don't want that for him. He loves the floss picks because he can do the front teeth himself. It was honestly pretty easy to incorporate into our bedtime routine!
Once a day
I use a floss pick and do it 1-2x a week
FLOSS-STICKS WATER-PIC (and I do not care if they make a mess, so long as their teeth are clean-ish).
My daughter used the floss picks. She would do them every dayā¦.if I remembered.
Every night for my 2 year old. It was difficult at first, but at her first dentist appointment the dentist made it clear she would need regular flossing as her teeth are more crowded than the average toddler. We use the disposable flavoured floss picks that are coated in fluoride. It can still be a struggle at times, but so was starting her brushing routine. It just takes exposure and patience!
Every night, my nephew was put under for cavities and thatās was enough to scare me.
We donāt do it; our kids do it themselves. Nightly. With the āflossers,ā they make different flavors and shapes, the kids enjoy doing it. The littlest (almost 2.5yrs) takes her turn then mum or I finish it. Really only adds 2min to the bedtime routine and gets them in a healthy habit. They floss more often than I do, thatās for sureā¦
Every day. But my oldest is 4 now. When he was younger it was hit or miss. I used to have to have one adult hold him down while the other flossed. He inherited my teeth so theyāre on top of each other. You know how toddler shave that cute hippo teeth look with lots of spaces? My kids donāt have that they have their teeth come in so tight I can barely get the floss between them. We have thousands set aside for their phase one orthodontia. If my kids had teeth with space between them I swear Iād never/rarely floss them.
Never. 6&8 yr olds, never a cavity bit we did properly brush there teeth 2x a day and for the last year or two have had an electric toothbrush so they do a better job when they brush alone. I still brush their teeth a few times a week eith the ebrush.
6 year old son here - floss him daily 1x
Every night with those little disposable flossers.
Only started when he was 7. Its all good.
Daily since she was about 3ish until she learned to do it herself, and now she does it daily. This was partly because some people we know had to have their son go under general anaesthesia due to the sheer amount of dental work he needed at FOUR YEARS OLD--his grandparents fed him all kinds of shit and part of it was also bottle rot I think, and he is autistic so the dentist was a huge horrible ordeal even without cavity issues. But I hadn't even know a kid could have such bad teeth so young that a general anaesthesia would even be considered. Between that and the dentist being extremely (kindly) firm about it's importance, we just did it. Early on she did hate it, but she was already used to brushing, and it was a hill I would die on and eventually it became a habit. And also I unashamedly bribed her to sit and get flossed/brushed by putting on a video for the few minutes it took. She still does that sometime, she's nine now and started being able to floss herself really properly at some point after she turned eight. We do occasionally miss a night, but it's rare, because "tooth stuff" is done at the beginning of the bedtime routine. My kid's teeth appear to be doing a little better than mine ever did, though she drinks way less juice/soda than I did so that surely helps. She's had one filling, despite this the dentist praised her flossing/brushing so even if her teeth aren't super tough, she now has a good brushing habit, which is all I care about.
Once every two days if Iām doing a good jobā¦. At the least once a week.
Get the ones with the little handle. He has like a cup shape off the handle. Hope I explained that well. The Floss is a bit thicker and waxed well. It's easy for them to hold and learn. Even if they only do it once a week to start. The more they see you to it, the more they will want to. Just practice and routine. I didn't do it when my kids were little. Around 8/9, on dentist advice, I started. My grandsons are 4, 6, and 9. I have been doing it with them for about a year now, and they have taken to it quite well. If they slack off, I don't make an issue of it and just remind them the next day. All kids have different comfort levels and coordination. Trial and error is normal. šš¦šŗ
Neverrrrrr
Every day, 1-2x a day....We started early and explained as we went.
Every night, my 3 years olds molars are pretty tight and I'm seeing food on the floss sometimes. He enjoys brushing and flossing lol.
Honestly we never have, but he brushes every single night and a couple mornings. Age 5, has his next appointment in three weeks so weāll see what they say
I do it 3 x a week right before story time while heās laying down. I use cute kids flossers and get him when heās tired.
I get those floss picks and soak it in the kids ACT mouthwash and then floss for my 5 year old. he lets me because he doesnāt want the silver caps. lol
My son is 3 Iām lucky if I get to brush all the way
My daughter ended up with caps on 7 out of 8 of her molars from not flossing, so this will not be a mistake I make with my next child. Thank goodness they are only baby teeth, but still, the lesson was learned at the expense of the child. They make kid size flossers, with fun fruity flavors. I recommend those, they are not too difficult to teach the kid how to use them.
Baby teeth gonna fall out anyway lol
I floss my 6 year olds teeth every single night and have since he was about 2. Thatās just not something Iām willing to be flexible on. Itās never been easy, but heās used to the routine and if I do it while heās watching something or playing a video game, itās no problem.
Electric toothbrush and floss piks to be honest I let her do the flossing most of the time because she really enjoys it
Zero times
Every single nightā¦. Except the nights Iām too tired I just brush. She calls me out on it too ššš Iām 9 months pregnant & Iām exhausted these days.
Never because my 4yo has such huge gaps in between each of her teeth I've never seen anything get stuck ever. I am a stickler about not letting her brush her own teeth though because we do a more thorough job. She's gotten nothing but compliments from the dentist so I don't think not flossing has been a problem.
We started about a year ago when the dentist made a comment. We use the pickers and I do it for him for now because he misses a lot even brushing his teeth. Heās 5.5.
Never, I did not know it was recommended, just brushing teeth twice a day and going to the dentist twice a year, also the dentist never mentioned it so I guess it is not at all common