How Long Did You Brush Your Kid’s Teeth?

[TipsyTraveler]

My husband is a dentist. We stopped brushing our kids teeth around 4, but they all had electric toothbrushes which does a lot of the work as long as they move it around their entire mouth. The ones that have a timer or song are great so they get 30 second in each quadrant of their mouth. Using flossers makes it easier for them to get between their too.

Ideally everyone should get a dental cleaning every three months as that is the time it takes for tartar build up on the teeth to harden into plaque, which leads to cavities and periodontitis. Dental insurance is only every 6 months because they don't want to pay for the ideal of every three months, they are all about the bare minimum so they can make money on premiums. They hope you don't go to the dentist and use your benefits. @Pea-n-Me is spot on with the articles she posted about a healthy mouth in an important part of a healthy heart and overall health. Oral health is also important during pregnancy.

What I’m choosing to take from this is “even dentists don’t brush their kid’s teeth until middle school.” So, thank you. My kid’s dentist will be thrilled to hear it.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I want to say we stopped brushing their teeth around age 4. They are 14 and 16 and neither has ever had a cavity. Religious about going to the dentist every 6 months since they were toddlers.

 

[princesscinderella]

What I’m choosing to take from this is “even dentists don’t brush their kid’s teeth until middle school.” So, thank you. My kid’s dentist will be thrilled to hear it.

Yes, but they also got a lot of teeth cleanings at our office when patients canceled with the hygienist. Genetics definitely play a role too in oral health, if you or your spouse is prone to cavities and gum inflammation your kids could be too.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Yes, but they also got a lot of teeth cleanings at our office when patients canceled with the hygienist. Genetics definitely play a role too in oral health, if you or your spouse is prone to cavities and gum inflammation your kids could be too.

My husband has had two cavities in his life and I’ve never had one. The odds are in their favor.

 

[anniemae]

I think we stopped around age 5, when they started kindergarten and were in that "I want to do it" phase. We had electric toothbrushes since they do a more thorough job. We also had the "fun flossers" for them to use as well as kids dental rinse. I could not imagine brushing a 6th or 7th graders teeth.

 

[LSUmiss]

My kids had a dentist appointment yesterday. We still brush the 3 year old’s teeth for him and they looked fine. The hygienist advised that we needed to resume brushing my 6 (nearly 7) year old’s teeth for him because he had some plaque along the gum line. When the dentist came in, we had the following conversation:

Me: At what age can he brush his teeth on his own?
Dentist: You’re not going to like the answer.
Me: What, 12?
Dentist: Well, kinda. Studies show they don’t have the manual dexterity to do it properly until they’re 10/11/12. So yeah, you really need to be doing it for them until they reach the double digits, at least.

I can’t even imagine brushing a middle schooler’s teeth for them. Honestly, I might not have had three kids if I knew I was committing myself to decades of teeth brushing. Maybe I’m just out of touch but this seems a bit crazy to me. At what age did you stop brushing your kid’s teeth for them?

My DS is 5 & I’m kind of glad to hear this b/c I can tell he’s doing a terrible job, but I insist that HE brushes them b/c that what he’s “supposed” to do. Ten is a bit much, but I wish that was more widely accepted b/c I would have just kept doing it.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

huh. Never saw that.

This is the dual-color kind we have:
https://www.amazon.com/Plaksmacker-...12-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

My DS is 5 & I’m kind of glad to hear this b/c I can tell he’s doing a terrible job, but I insist that HE brushes them b/c that what he’s “supposed” to do. Ten is a bit much, but I wish that was more widely accepted b/c I would have just kept doing it.

If you want to keep brushing his teeth until college, I’ve got just the dentist for you…