I have a rather large problem with my almost 7 year old he has some major tooth decay on his back molars that are being removed due to me letting him go to bed as a toddler with a bottle (yes I feel terrible about it I didnt realise milk at bed time could cause so much damage) But the problem is he hates anything mint flavoured and gags and almost vomits if I make him use toothpaste. We have tried other flavours such as bubblegum, berry and lemon, but they all have that same mint undertone. So he has always brushed his teeth with salty water. He drinks a lot of water but the dentist is saying that he needs to use toothpaste to get the extra flouride he needs, I explained to him about the mint problem and he just said i have to force him to use mint toothpaste.
Does anyone have any ideas about what I can use for him to brush his teeth with, with the flouride he needs but no mint????
Goodness sometimes doctors want to make me punch them in the nose!
For heaven's sake, whatever you do, don't force your son to use toothpaste he doesn't like. All you'll get is a kid and then an adult who doesn't take care of his teeth because all he's had is bad experiences.
If he doesn't like this new toothpaste you ordered, just use a bit of baking soda with salt and mix it with a bit of water to make a paste. Just enough to lightly cover the brush. I know of a dentist who has used just this her entire adult life and has no problems with cavities... and since you said he'll use salt water, this should work too plus with the baking soda it will help to polish and clean his teeth a bit more.
If you're concerned about the flouride, there are other ways to suppliment that. They even have childrens vitamins that have flouride in them now. Your best bet would be to ask the pharmacist what your best options might be.... they tend to know more than doctors about these sort of things... sheesh... telling you to force the kid... what a moron!
there is one called 'milk teeth' i used to buy in south australia, but i'm in queensland now and cant find it anywhere. there is also a great childrens mouthwash thats berry flavoured and very mild. there are also a range of flouride tablets you could ask your doctor about
We use a great herbal toothpaste for the entire family. But you can also get tea tree toothpaste, our children just never liked the taste of the tea tree. Good luck.
You should try a shop that makes their own natural bath and body products. Either they may sell something, or one of the professionals there might be able to point you in the right direction. Worth a try anyway.
I buy my kids the Pooh Bear toothpaste from Woolies. It's not 'minty' at all & they love it. It only costs 2 or 3 bucks. I think it's fruit flavoured......
My sister has had a similar problem with her daughter who is now 4 years old, she continually let her have fruit juice or milk in a bottle all day long and for bed, thinking it was healthy. The end result was badly decayed teeth which caused alot of pain for my neice and had to be removed thru westmead hospital, the child was distraught at this painful operation (yes, they had to admit her to hospital and knock her out to fix this!), though my sister is more careful with her new baby. Alot of mums think 100% fruit juice or so called 'healthy' drinks wont do damage, but they do!.
My neice hated brushing her teeth due to the pain, and we encouraged her thru using flavoured toothpaste, try looking it up on a search engine like yahoo australia, it may be the solution to getting your son to brush his teeth and avoid further damage. Next stepis finding a good dentist which your son is comfortable with or making a appointment with the local hospital dental clinic.
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