Autistic kids and teeth cleaning

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I cannot get my kid to clean her teeth properly. She hates doing it, a lot of the time she doesn't bother, just squirts a bit of toothpaste in her mouth so I'll think she's done it.

It's a sensory thing, I suppose. We've tried electric toothbrushes and manual ones. She doesn't like either.

I don't want her to grow up with bad teeth. My teeth are a mess and it's annoying and expensive.

Anyone had this issue with their kids and found anything that works?

Any joy on the teeth cleaning front there

You'd think they'd come up with something for kids for their teeth wouldn't you; like chew sticks that you give dogs

I always think that I do

No. It's always been a problem from the time we stopped brushing her teeth for her (because she would scream as if we were using a cheese grater) and let her do it herself.

It's a sensory thing. Plus a PDA thing. She won't wash properly either and she's hitting puberty so starting to get body odours.

So I don't know what to do. It wasn't so much of a problem when she had a mouth full of milk teeth that were going to fall out anyway but these ones need to last.

Not sure how old your daughter is? mine was adamant nothing should touch her teeth (she refused to go to the dentist until her wisdom teeth came out). We eventually convinced her peers brush their teeth and that seemed to do the trick.

Yeah she might hopefully come round to the idea of doing as she gets a bit older

I dunno it's a tough one because it's a health issue as well as an aesthetics thing

I wish you all the best with this mate I really do

Is it the brush that's a sensory issue? Doesn't sound like it's the toothpaste. When I was a kid I needed the bubblegum flavored toothepaste because mint was too strong.

I like aquafresh for the stripes and the flavour and because I can remember the advert from when I was a kid and it always plays in my head when I'm brushing away

can you discuss it with her? Explain about bacteria in your mouth and on your body and how it grows and causes damage and yucky odors.
Telling her she "needs to", "ought to" "do it or else", etc makes it your idea, not hers.
( invitation to oppose or refuse ).
choose these tools or those, either this, or that items to use gives her the power to decide for herself.

Give her as wide a choice as you can offer. Same for bathing and cleaning. She can use something like Cetaphil where she never has to use water, wipe on, wipe off... many pre packaged wipes available. Hair washing is something else. Hair can be cut very short so head and face can all be washed at once. Again, give her the choice, let her choose so it is her idea, not pressure from you. Explore alternatives. There are places in the world where people have never had a bath or a shower but who manage to clean themselves in other ways. There are lots of alternatives out there.


Have you tried waterpik, plain toothpicks or floss piks and mouthwash? Give her a choice between tools, rather than telling her to try one or use one... so its her idea and not yours.

There are little brushes you can put on your finger (like the end of a glove). Tooth paste is not a "have to" item either. For years we used baking soda. There are so many options available.