Brushing?

I have a 19-mo old, and since he's had teeth, the pediatrician has said, you should brush his teeth at least once a day, or give them a good wipe. One pediatrician even scoffed at her own advice: "...and for at least 2 minutes...pfff! Just do it for as long as you can!"

Well, J sure is fast in turning his face away when we try to brush his teeth. He's really fast, and in both directions. I'm sure yours is/was too! So, that's a fail.

When I approach him with a washcloth, he let's me put it to his teeth, but then proceeds to clench down on my fingers. Baby teeth sure are sharp! Ouch!


So we've finally just put some baby toothpaste on the toothbrush and let him brush himself. That usually just means I can swirl it a few times inside his mouth to try to touch some teeth. The remainder of the time, he chews on the toothbrush and enjoys the toothpaste (which can be swallowed because it's fluoride-free. I know I know, there's probably sugar in it that's not good for him and counter-productive).

For those of you with older kids, should I really be concerned that J's teeth really aren't being brushed at 19-mos? I don't have the healthiest of teeth because childhood dental hygiene was not top priority growing up. I want J to have healthy teeth.

For those of you with young kids, do you brush your kid's teeth? How? How long? Do you get the tongue? Sometimes J as "morning breath". Is that bad?

Help, please!!

And hope you're having a great weekend!
And Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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