10 yr old not brushing teeth good enough-advice About This Page:

[Starbright]

Ds who is actually 10.5 yrs old, had to have 2 teeth pulled today. We found out it was from a cavity gone bad. He doesn't brush well enough It cost us $300 by the time everything was done (check up, xrays, meds, tooth pulling). We got him a new battery tooth brush that he now likes and he is using a special mouth wash. But this is the type of boy that needs his own personal assistant...he will forget to do things, you gotta tell him what to do, when to do it etc etc. I mean, he is a good kid and mature, just kinda um, um, dozey when handling his own life (I can trust him with dd if I wanted to but I don't do that).

So, here is my question for you all.
1) would you start to brush his teeth for him? And if so, how many times a wk?
2) Do you think he should have to work off some of this dental bill by helping dh and not getting paid?
3) When, oh, when do boys start to get more responsible??? When will he start to do things on his own?????

Me and dh are giving this some time to mull it over. This close to Christmas kinda makes it difficult to discipline, although we can delay it, which we will, til the New Year.

Thanks again everyone!!!

[toddjodybrent]

Try a sand timer. Our son has one that the dentist gave him that sits by the sink in the bathroom. He turns over the timer when he starts brushing and knows he is done when the timer runs out.

Also, we do a breath/teeth check when he is done--he comes to us--not us to him. Brushing AM and PM is a part of the daily routine.

Good luck!

[minemoz1]

Working for a dental office, we say to do all of those things. Battery toothbrush is great. If you can, see if the DDS will give you a few disclosure tablets. These are purple chewables that turn plaque purple to blue depending on how old it is. If he's not doing a good job you will see lots of color on his teeth, then start brushing for him.

Other suggestions for kids with horrible hygiene, start coming 4 months instead of 6 for cleanings. You would have to pay for an extra cleaning (if you have insurance) but it's better than the expense of huge cavities and pulled teeth. Watch them brush and make sure it's 2 minutes. Floss, or floss their teeth for them. There is also special high flouride Rx toothpaste that the DDS may suggest.

As to when they become more responsible? Some kids just don't and don't care. Good luck!!!

[Starbright]

Originally Posted by minemoz1

Working for a dental office, we say to do all of those things. Battery toothbrush is great. If you can, see if the DDS will give you a few disclosure tablets. These are purple chewables that turn plaque purple to blue depending on how old it is. If he's not doing a good job you will see lots of color on his teeth, then start brushing for him.

Yeah, i was going to try to find some of those tablets. Good idea.

Other suggestions for kids with horrible hygiene, start coming 4 months instead of 6 for cleanings. You would have to pay for an extra cleaning (if you have insurance) but it's better than the expense of huge cavities and pulled teeth. Watch them brush and make sure it's 2 minutes. Floss, or floss their teeth for them. There is also special high flouride Rx toothpaste that the DDS may suggest. !!!

We are going to decide if we are going to get him to work off part of this or not. Do you think it is a good idea??? Also debating if this is just his genetics of having bad teeth that are prone to cavities or if this was poor brushing. I guess we should have had him back at the dentist in the summer so I feel as though this is both our faults.
Do you think we should be brushing his teeth for him???UGH. Our dentist told me that one of his daughters never gets cavities, and the other one gets ALOT of cavities and he watches them. But it still bothers me that we have to force him to brush his teeth and to floss at this age

I will be timing him from now on. Thanks for the timer suggestion.

Honestly, I want to win the lottery so I can get him a Personal assistant. He has to marry rich so he has someone to help him out

Thanks alot for the ideas

[Pax]

Originally Posted by Starbright

1) would you start to brush his teeth for him? And if so, how many times a wk?

No. He won't learn, for himself, how to do it right.

Get an Egg-timer. Also, make sure he knows how to brush; it's not enough to just scrub back and forth over his teeth, especially just over the "outside" surface.

And make sure he knows how to floss, too.

Also, they used to have these chewable candy-like tablets, that would dye any plaque or food residue a bright red. If you can find them (your dentist may be able to help), you can use those to visually show him when his teeth still aren't clean enough.

3) When, oh, when do boys start to get more responsible??? When will he start to do things on his own?????

About six years after getting his first post-graduate degree ...?

[Huntermom]

The disclosing tablets worked well for my kids. I also think some kids are more susceptible to cavities than others. My least responsible son never had plaque or cavities. He would always come out of his check up with praise from the hygienist when I knew he was not the best brusher.

When my kids were young, we had a checklist next to the bathroom mirror that helped. I also know my older son who tended to breath through his mouth at night because of allergies had more plaque.

Good luck. Boys become much more hygienic when girls become more desirable.

[Starbright]

Huntermom: we wrote at the same time LOL

When can kids start to use an adult tooth paste????

Dh is really upset with ds. He says that this all comes down to him not brushing his teeth. So I have a very angry hubby to deal with. But I want to talk to my dentist about it first and that won't be til the New Year.

A check list would be a good idea. I need to post one everywhere he goes, but then, he will need someone to remind him to look I can't win

I sure hope that the hygiene comes when they get more involved with girls. He likes them and notices them, but none are showing direct interest in him, which is a good thing, I think.

[minemoz1]

If you didn't take him for routine check ups, then IMHO, it's both your faults with responsibility on both sides.

They usually recommend adult toothpaste for 12+ especially Pro Health as it uses a different type of flouride. Crest makes a pro health for tweens called Pro Health For Me.

Does your son eat a lot of chips, Doritos etc? They are just as bad as candy for teeth as they stick in the crevices and the carbs turn into sugar and start to decay them. Drinking lots of soda and sports drinks is really bad too!

Good luck!

[Starbright]

Michele: we take him for his regular check ups. We are pretty anal people when it comes to meds, apts etc. My physical is done the yr to the day if I can get it. His dental apt is actually in Jan but we might have to change that to twice a yr like you said for a yr or two, til he is more hygenic.

Nope, he doesn't eat alot of chips, not much pop. Lots and lots of milk though (about a liter a day if not more).

Now, is the tooth paste based upon age or weight? He is a tall and big boned kid. Weighs about 113 lbs and is 5 ft tall (takes a size 7 mens shoe)

I am blaming his poor teeth on my hubbies side

Thanks again everyone!!!!

[Teresa]

Originally Posted by Starbright

His dental apt is actually in Jan but we might have to change that to twice a yr like you said for a yr or two, til he is more hygenic.

Uh - the recommendation has been for TWICE a year for as long as I can remember! Insurance almost always pays for twice a year. When our girls have (or have had) braces, they go every 3 months.
When you go twice a year, you don't get the full deal - you have a cleaning and a visit with the dentist each time, but x-rays only once a year.

Find him an electric tooth brush with an automatic timer like an Oral B. You can find them for $30 or less. We have those for all of us and they're great - they clean better than regular toothbrushes and the pulse changes when 2 minutes is up.

I wouldn't make your DS pay for his tooth pulling this time around. I'd sit him down and talk about how this MAY have been avoided and next time he'll be responsible for helping pay. Yes, it's a bad time of year to have extra expenses, but it's not like he did this on purpose. It's just one of those things that we parents have to be prepared for.

[Chrissi]

My son's first tooth erupted with a cavity already in it. Since then, we've been military in our dental routine to keep on top of it, but some kids are prone to more dental problems due to genetics. You may have to babysit him while he brushes his teeth or brush your teeth at the same time to model good tooth-brushing behavior. My son is required to brush his teeth and do a fluoride rinse every morning when he gets up and every night before bed and he brushes after every meal or snack that isn't plain water. It annoys him so he drinks a lot more water these days. At least the water is good for him! Also, soda and juice should immediately be removed from your son's diet. The citric acid in both of those drinks eats away at the enamel on your teeth that protects them and prevents tooth decay. Other ingredients in soda actually expedite tooth decay even more. The soda is the worst offender. It can't even be a rare treat. It needs to disappear from his diet altogether if he's drinking it at all now.

[JoanneS]

I think some kids are just more prone to cavities. I wouldn't have him work off his dental bill. He's a kid, he's still learning.

Why not brush your teeth while he's brushing his? That way you can see what he's doing, and he can see how you brush your teeth. I also like the sonic toothbrushes, they seem to get more placque off my teeth.

And as for toothpaste, my kids have been using adult toothpaste since they were about 3 years old, and they're both still alive.

[Colexis Mom]

It sounds like your DS only goes to the dentist once a year? We go twice (every 6 months). The kids also get flouride treatments at their checkups to help prevent cavities. When they were smaller we had a special toothpaste that had a higher level of flouride in it that we got from the dentist (we have well water), as DD had two teeth pulled due to cavities when she was 5, so I can relate to what you're going thru. The main culprit (we think anyway) was those "gummy" fruit bites, so we stopped eating those!

The kids now mainly drink water (or milk). They still have each had a cavity or two. In grade school, they also got/get a flouride rinse once a week. The dentist also gave us some of that liquid "detector" purple stuff - we put it on a q-tip and then rub it on their teeth to see how they are doing (the dentist does as well at their visit).

I hope you're able to get your DS more enthused about brushing! I don't think I'd be brushing his teeth for him. I like the suggestion of brushing alongside him. Teamwork is always a good thing!

[Tigger71]

I have a DS at 15yrs of age who needs reminders about brushing!!!
However I also have a 6yr old DS who does it morning and night with very few reminders and a DD who has never had to be reminded-lol.

We do not leave the house or go to bed unless we have brushed and 4/5 brush as soon as we get up to have pleasant breath for those we talk with at breakfast!

I suggest buying him an electric toothbrush that plays a song for the the length of time you want him to brush and have him fill out a chart on the fridge for when he has brushed. That way before he has more food or drinks you can see how many times he's doing it. At 10 he may thinks this is babyish to have a chart and you can tell him the chart goes as soon as he acts responsibly and brushes without reminder. If you share the same bathroom put all the toothbrushes on one side of the sink before you brush and then after each brushing put them into a cup on the other side. You can see at a glance if someone has skipped a brushing when their toothbrush is alone on the other side!

I would not make him work to pay off the bill. He may then put off going to the dentist in years to come because of the cost. Remind him how much the bill cost and what the family could have done/purchased with that money and leave it as that.

Best wishes!

[Caldercup]

I agree -- start going twice a year, if not three times. For people who are prone to problems (and I've been told it's hereditary and has to do with the make-up of your saliva), more frequent professional cleanings can help.

Does the battery toothbrush have it's own timer -- especially good are the ones that indicate 30 second intervals over the 2 minutes (which helps you know that you've completed that quadrant of the mouth.) If my son's toothbrush didn't have this feature, he would literally sit there with the toothbrush on just his front teeth.

Also, has your dentist suggested having sealants put on the teeth? I swear these have been the reason my DS has not had any cavities yet (15yo)