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As a parent of an Autistic child, getting him to brush his teeth has always been a thorn in my side. We have tried numerous types of toothpaste and gone through more brushes than I can even count. I have found a few things that work, and I’d like to share them with all of you.
Keeping Their Teeth Clean
Okay, so we all know that we should be brushing our teeth at LEAST twice a day. But what if you or your child can’t handle the feeling of the brush, or the taste of the toothpaste? Then getting them to brush is hard to say the least. In our home tons of tears have been shed on both sides because of Liam’s sensory aversions and brushing. Until I found these two things, which have been a God send to us!
It comes down to mouthwash and a certain brush. For some reason, Liam can not tolerate toothpaste. The taste, the texture, the feeling afterward make him gag. So for him, he brushes without toothpaste, and then washes with mouthwash. But not just any mouthwash, and not just any brush.
HartFelt 360 Toothbrush
This neat brush has bristles all the way around. This brush can be used with or without toothpaste (which is how Liam uses it,) and it still gets those teeth nice and clean! The design of the bristles gets right in there without gagging him, and they nicely massage his gums too. The brush has over ten THOUSAND highly elastic bristles to clean those teeth. He can even tolerate brushing his tongue with it!
Colgate Total® Advanced Health Mouthwash
This mouthwash is pretty cool. I think Liam’s favorite part is that you have to shake it real well to get it mix together and activate. Then, after you swish and spit, you can see what it cleaned from your mouth, in the sink. He calls it the “science mouthwash.” It’s gentle in that it has no alcohol. So unlike other mouth washes, it won’t burn. The taste is mild and not over powering so it’s easy to tolerate. Now for the technical stuff:
- Kills 99% of germs on contact
- Removes 24 times more bacteria for a healthier mouth
- Reduces plaque
- Fights bad breath
- Helps prevent gingivitis
- No burn of alcohol
Colgate Mouthwash at Work. Liam insisted we share how it works!
Where to buy
If you have a kid with sensory aversions, try out these two items. I hope they work for you like they do for us! You can get either of them by clicking on their links above. The Colgate mouthwash can be found at Walmart too.