Oral Hygiene

From the beginning, we struggled to brush Mia's teeth. She'd chew the toothpaste off the toothbrush, but would not actually brush her teeth, nor let us do it. When we took her to the pediatric dentist, he characterized her as "orally defensive." He showed us how to brush an orally defensive child's teeth, which involves sitting on the floor with the child's head between your legs, her arms pinned down under your thighs. Not pleasant. especially when Mia realized she could kick me in the face with her feet, which aren't pinned down. Enter Parent 2 to hold down the feet while trying to distract Mia with signing or rhymes.
At her 2-year checkup, the pediatrician asked how often we brush Mia's teeth. I had to admit "once a day." (Could you imagine going through that ordeal more than once a day?) She suggested we increase it to 2 times a day or try an electric toothbrush. I didn't think Mia would go for the electric toothbrush, but it was worth a try. She wouldn't use my Sonicare, so we tried one of those kiddie battery-operated toothbrushes. The one we purchased makes a rather loud buzzing sound, which even I find a little offputting. For the first few days, Mia didn't like it, but we kept trying. All of a sudden, one morning Mia started giggling as we brushed her teeth. I think she has decided it tickles. Now, several times a day she signals she is ready to brush her teeth by using her index finger as an imaginary toothbrush. Not only that, when we are in the bathroom together in the morning, she demands "fwoss" and tries to get into the secured drawer containing my dental floss. So, I give her a length of floss and she flosses. She really likes watching herself in the mirror.