It it normal for kids to hate brushing their teeth?

My kids are 14 and 16 and I fight with them every morning and night to brush. They will go days without brushing if I let them. I've tested them. After about a week their teeth are so disgusting that I make them brush. Why are they like this? We always brushed together when they were little. This can't be normal. What do you think?

Voting Results
74% Normal
Based on 27 votes (20 yes)
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Comments ( 10 )
  • Grangletras

    I had that problem for a while (not as the mom but as the son) and it's because it really doesn't seem like that big of a deal. However, decalcification sucks and they are going to want teeth whitening when they are older. Do everything you can to force them to brush their teeth, it needs to be a habit. I don't know the gender or sexuality of your children, however, I do know that nobody is going to want to date/fuck/marry them if they have stank ass breath

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  • gwxnn

    It might help if you let them pick out a special flavor of toothpaste.. my little brother refused to brush his teeth and it turned out he just hates mint

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  • sortofnormal

    I HATE BRUSHING MY TEETH IM 11 AND IT TASTES SO BAD :'(((((

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    • Nickvey

      often i electric brush my teeth without toothpaste , by kids toothpaste its always mild.

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  • CapriSun

    That's so fucking gross. You should know you need to brush your teeth when you're not 10 anymore

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  • Nickvey

    its not normal but my son lies about brushing,

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  • Boojum

    Find some really gory pictures of tooth decay on the internet and try to shock them into taking better care of their teeth.

    If you've ever had serious dental work, try to explain just how uncomfortable (and expensive) it can be.

    Problem is, when your 14 or 16, you tend to feel you're invulnerable and possible dental problems when you're in your twenties feel so far in the future that it's not worth worrying about.

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    • Giggirl70

      Did that on the gory pictures. Many times.

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      • Boojum

        Oh, well.

        I'm also a parent, although our daughter is only nine, so we still have the wonders of the teen years to look forward to.

        It seems to me that parents can only do so much. If you've educated them on personal and dental hygiene as well as you can, at some point you have to step back and say, "It's your life and your mouth, kid."

        Sooner or later, boy/girlfriends will come into the picture. At that point, it's likely you'll suddenly see an obsessive interest in looking and smelling nice.

        The other thing I firmly believe is that parents should pick their battles. It appears this is one you can't win, so you have a choice of either beating your head against the proverbial, or learning to stand well-clear of the halitosis and letting them make their own mistakes.

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        • Ellenna

          Presumably it's the parents who'll be hit with the dental bills before long so you do have a right to institute a reward system for when they actually do brush their teeth. And check they do it, a wet toothbrush proves nothing!

          I wish my parents had been stricter with me about it and probably I'd still have some of my own teeth instead of dentures, which are not fun at all

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