Alternate to brushing teeth??

I need ideas to keep an 8 year old mentally/physically handicapt child's mouth clean. It is super hard to brush his teeth because fights it %26amp; I feel like it is not getting clean enough. Anything he could drink to help? Any ideas at all??

Alternate to brushing teeth??
I know this isn't the answer you are looking for, but my advice is to stick with it and make him learn to do it now while he is still relatively small. I used to work with severely autistic kids and we had to brush their teeth. I understand how dangerous and frustrating it is. I've been bitten and hit and all of that while trying to help them brush their teeth.





What we used to do was hold a bag of a favorite treat by the child and a timer. If the child let us brush his or her teeth for 1 full minute, he or she got the treat. If he or she had a meltdown, we did not force the issue. Instead, we took the kid for a quick walk around the class and then back to sink for another try. If the kid had such a fight that he ended up hysterical or being restrained, we gave up until he calmed down. Some days we never succeeded. But it is important that the child learns that teeth brushing is not optional and that evenutally he will have to do it- with or without a fight.





Maybe start with less than one minute if you are having trouble. Give him the treat after 20 seconds and then build your way up in a few weeks.





Good Luck. If you've already tried all that, sorry.








EDIT: I know that you say that he can't understand that there will be a reward, but if he gets the reward after doing what he is supposed to do enough times, he will come to associate the brushing with the reward. I worked with extremely handicapped and nonverbal kids. We had a few who couldn't understand anythign at all- those who had the developmental capacity of infants. Also those with severe brain damage who were nearly vegetative. But all the seriously autistic (my room), seriously MR and ED kids could learn to associate rewards with certain actions. It just took weeks of training to make the association and even longer to achieve the result.
Reply:you really really should try brushing his teeth, or him brushing his teeth. but the only other thing i can think about is mouth wash, and those new crest teeth cleaning strips. im not sure what they are called but they sell them at local drug stores.
Reply:Even though it is a fight and must be difficult brushing is the most effective way- or we'd all use an alternative. You can get gum that's suppose to clean your teath, mouth wash - but the child may drink that. Have you tried flavored toothpaste? Colourful toothbrush? A little sticker at the end to put on a chart?
Reply:Not really. Brushing your teeth is pretty much the only way to remove the build-up of plaque and tartar on his teeth. Mouth wash will help kill some of the bacteria but won't actually remove the build-up that leads to tooth decay. You need to teach him how to brush his teeth or find a way so he won't fight you on it.





My suggestions include having him brush with you so he can see you do it and that you are enjoying it. Also, ask if he doesn't like the taste of the toothpaste because changing to a flavor he likes may help. Also using a colorful toothbrush or one that has a popular cartoon character on it could relax him more.
Reply:You should talk to a pediatrician or clinic. Keeping bacteria levels low enough is important to the child's overall health. You can buy a little rubber (silicone) fingertip at the pet store that has little nub brushes, and use flavored toothpastes and make it a "treat" for him to get a tooth massage - perhaps buy two and let him see you "treat" someone else to a tooth massage.


Any gargle strong enough to help his teeth is probably too strong to let him drink.


Your best bet is to let him see that there is a fun experience that he's not old enough/big enough/calm enough to get, and then eventually build it up so he really wants what someone else in the family wants.


The nubians used to use a particularly fibrous stick after chewing the end into a brush type shape and did a pretty good job with what they called the nubian maswhacker. I bet the little kids wanted to get old enough to have a stick of their own.


You could also call a pediatric dentist and ask for ideas and have his teeth regularly cleaned under conscious sedation perhaps?
Reply:Please consult a very good dentist specialised on disabled persons.i am sure you will find one.



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