Electronic toothbrushes for children?

Spectra · Post by **Spectra** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 9:42 pm

Our toddler son hates having his teeth brushed. I read in a parenting book that electronic/battery powered toothbrushes might help out in making the experience more fun somehow. I can see how some kids might be freaked out by that, but maybe our boy would be interested in a new gadget.

Anyway, yesterday we looked at a few electronic stores at Itäkeskus but didn't find any made specifially for kids. saw some brushes that you can snap on to the regular adult one though.

Are there any whole toothbrush "systems" for kids?

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CH · Post by CH » Tue Jan 08, 2008 3:33 pm

Just check out the toothbrush section in normal stores like Citymarket. They have battery operated toothbrushes for kids that are otherwise like the electronic toothbrushes for adults, just a tad slower. Ours is an Oral-B, but I'm sure there are others. Our daughter had major problems with having her teeth cleaned as a toddler, but she loved (and still does) her battery operated toothbrush.

annekmc · Post by **annekmc** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 3:41 pm

I saw this toothbrush advertised, I have no idea how good it is, but it plays music for 2 minutes, to encourage your kids to brush for the required time.
http://www.hasbro.com/toothtunes/

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:31 pm

Spectra wrote: Are there any whole toothbrush "systems" for kids?

We use the normal "Jordan" and Oralb-B kids series..
They have pictures in them ..
Basically, we make it a fun "ritual" than a chore for brushing the teeth and so it works for us..
Try to make it like a family habit..then it might be more appealing..
Also, some education on the effects of not brushing might motivate them to keep their teeth "germ" free..
Another way is to ask them their commitment to brush after each time they have anything sweet..

Spectra · Post by **Spectra** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 7:39 pm

Ok, will look in the big grocery stores. thanks guys! re the music idea, I can maybe get his favorite tune in the bathroom with a small radio so he can brush while listening to what makes him happy

Spectra · Post by **Spectra** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:17 pm

Yeah, he's really not excited about having a stick of bristles in his teeth. The cute Piglet image on the brush doesn't help either. (neither does the 'hey! your teeth are train tracks! here comes the Piglet Train! He's looking for Eeyore waaaay in the back of the train tracks!!" trick...)
What bugs me the most is that his teeth are getting "colored" with black spots, which the dentist said isn't in any way harmful, but is just not so attractive. In fact, it can actually help prevent cavities for some unknown reason.... but they really bug me, yuck.
I'm not sure if there is a correlation between brushing and coloring but in my head there definitely is. So i feel the need to brush!!!

Found a Mickey Mouse electronic brush (with music, yee haw..) in K-Citymarket for 50 euros. Sounded like way too much. Are there any better deals out there??? maybe i have to check tarjoustalo..

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:04 pm

Spectra wrote: Found a Mickey Mouse electronic brush (with music, yee haw..) in K-Citymarket for 50 euros. Sounded like way too much. Are there any better deals out there??? maybe i have to check tarjoustalo..

hmm wait till you see the price for those replacement of the bristles prices..
The last cheap one I saw was in LIDL some time back for around €19.99.
Mebbe try Hongkong too!!

Spectra · Post by **Spectra** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:50 pm

yeah, i know, those prices are a pain. but in hopes of having cleaner ivories, i'll pay for it.

superiorinferior · Post by **superiorinferior** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:54 pm

Spectra wrote: What bugs me the most is that his teeth are getting "colored" with black spots, which the dentist said isn't in any way harmful, but is just not so attractive. In fact, it can actually help prevent cavities for some unknown reason.... but they really bug me, yuck.
I'm not sure if there is a correlation between brushing and coloring but in my head there definitely is. So i feel the need to brush!!!

With my children, I have been the toothbrusher and have taken a rather strict approach to getting the job done. Whenever they balked at "brusha-brusha-time" I use any and all imagery of teeth falling out and bleeding gums etc. I just told them the truth: that these big teeth are the only ones you're gonna get and if you let them rot out right away they are never coming back. But usually just having a "fun" time makes "brusha-brusha-time" totally OK with them.

And about those spots, my first son had similar things (or so I thought), that the dentist apparently thought nothing of, but one night as I was brushing his teeth, I tried gently "scraping" one of those black flecks off one of his baby molars and the tooth just basically disintegrated under the pressure of a toothpick. I nearly barfed on my son.

I would say that black spots are NOT normal and they are a sign of some kind of problem. Is it a municipal dentist that told you not to worry or a private one? If it is the former then I would be doubly concerned; one of these municipal hacks told both my kids that they don't need to come to the dentist again for 2-3 YEARS, and flatly refuses to clean teeth professionally.

I think the logic behind letting baby teeth rot out rather than fix them is purely fiscal.

Spectra · Post by **Spectra** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:08 am

Re buying a regular electric toothbrush, i'm concerned about the speed for a 2 year old. isn't it too fast for little teeth? Is there a big diff between the speeds of the kids and adult's brush? We have a regular electric brush at home, and first considered just buying a softer brush top for it, but then started thinking about the brush speed.

Re the black spots. We went to the city's dentist.
I've got them too, and so does dh. I got them from dh, actually. I think it's genetic and then gets passed on to "affectionate" family members.. I've tried scraping off the spots too but his teeth feel pretty sturdy. he lets me scrape more often than brush.

weird. but i guess he can feel a small scrape on his tooth less than the whole brushing.

Yeah, i know i should be asking mr./mrs. dentist this info, but i ask here first anyway.
I'll call the dentist in the morning...

cos i'm a good mama

raumagal · Post by **raumagal** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:05 pm

raamv wrote:
Spectra wrote: Found a Mickey Mouse electronic brush (with music, yee haw..) in K-Citymarket for 50 euros. Sounded like way too much. Are there any better deals out there??? maybe i have to check tarjoustalo..
hmm wait till you see the price for those replacement of the bristles prices..
The last cheap one I saw was in LIDL some time back for around €19.99.
Mebbe try Hongkong too!!

I just saw a kids electronic brush with music for 14.99 in City Market today. Don't know what the age was for it though but the choice of music was Kelly Clarkson or the Black Eyed Peas...

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