Teeth brushing nightmare

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Toothpaste BURNS!! !! !!

My parents had to hold me down to brush my teeth. They finally found some kind that didn't burn.

I was eventually able to use the gel type toothpaste when I was 12 and then Aquafresh which is gel/paste, but I still find the full on paste a bit irritating.

There's also the issue of dropping whatever it is you are doing to do this stressful thing.

I talked to a dental hygienist about how averse my daughter is to tooth brushing. She really hates the feel of those bristles against her teeth. She suggested using a washcloth when she really wasn't tolerating the toothbrush. Me reaching in with a wash cloth wasn't working. Then I came up with the idea to cut out a small section and stitch a little washcloth cover over a toothbrush and my daughter likes it! Probably not approved by the American dental association, but I am so glad she can brush her teeth without dreading it. Now there is hope for more frequent, longer tooth brushing sessions.

My 2 year old son HATED getting his teeth brushed with a red hot purple passion. For a long time, one of us had to restrain him while the other brushed his teeth and he was a jaw clencher instead of a screamer, which only added to the challenge. Now, my husband spins him in the air before and after brushing his teeth so he does not fight the process anymore. It's just an unpleasant part of his routine between delightful spinning sessions. He still grumbles, but he tolerates it better.

They way people go on about brushing teeth you'd think I'd have lost all my teeth years ago, but I still have them all and I haven't had a cavity for three years now, and one time they asked if 'd been bleaching my teeth because they were so white (I haven't).

But when I was a kid I was extremely terrified of going to the dentist and the fear lasted until my early teens. Treatment feels more like a punishment for not taking PERFECT care of your teeth, and then you're punished even more when your parents act like drill sergeants or won't let you eat candy.

I find my mouth is very sensitive to certain toothpastes and brushes. I have to use soft bristles brushes and hard bristles can damage tooth enamel anyway, and those potent whitening toothpastes will damage my whole mouth. Also instead of feeling clean and pleasant I feel like I've got freezer burn of the mouth for hours. Eating becomes painful, acidic or spicy foods cause all my taste buds to swell up, and my mouth feels really dry, which is definitely not good for dental health.

I don't know if that helps or anything but that's just my own personal experience and if kids associate brushing with something very unpleasant they're not going to want to do it ever.