Teens Brushing Teeth My son is horrible about ...

Is he kind of a rebellious kid in the first place? Found a way to drive you nuts?  Or do you think he's just being careless?  As a Teenager, soon to be dating, even kissing a girl, you would think he would pay extra special care of his teeth and breath.  (Maybe there is something to  all of that)?   I'm glad to hear that you talked to him about the health problems. Bad teeth and gums are toxic, really hard on your blood streem and heart!    You know what.. now that I'm thinking about it.. one of my Sisters absolutely can't stand the taste of Mint,  to this day!  especially in tooth paste.   She hated brushing her teeth when we were kids!  Now as an Adult, she only buys Cinnamin and other flavored types of tooth paste. I think either Crest or Colgate have some really good stuff,  along with maybe a softer tooth brush.   It's worth a try!   Good luck! 

I had the same problem with my kids, wouldn't brush their teeth and did not get the consequences. I printed pictures of people with gum disease off the Internet. Peoples teeth who were rotten, and gums who were infected. That did the trick. They were practically begging me to buy them new toothbrushes.

I've had 5 boys, and always had to find what worked with each child. I'll share my "bag of tricks".

•  Sometimes, its the taste. Nowadays you can find almost any flavor, and being able to pick and choose might appeal to a finicky teen.
• One of mine has sensory disabilities, and was really bothered by texture, so we tried old-fashioned powdered Pepsodent. There are also low-foaming ones available.
• My teen felt his teeth were yellow, so why bother. We got whitening strips, and when he saw that they looked nice and white, he regularly brushed more.
• If its really just a sloppy hygiene thing, have him lick a piece of heavy-ish paper. He'll get a better sense of what a girl, or friends, or a teacher smell when they're close to him.
• Remember disclosing tablets? You'd get a few from the dentist, yo'd chew after brushing, and it would disclose where you missed all my kids, and my HUSBAND, love using them. You can buy them at major drugstore chains.

• My 12 y-o doesn't want to take the time, but I made supervising his younger brothers' brushing one of his chores.Now he'll brush because he has to be there watching anyhow.

I'm not sure the whole gum disease thing can work with this age group. They don't tend to be able to project that long term, until they're like, uh, well, my husband needs more immediate cause and effect than that, so, never. I think its a guy thing.

 Good luck! I'd love to hear back if anything works ;>)

Dee 

 I take it that he just is lazy, and doesn't want to take the time to do it. Tell him as a teen boy, believe it or not the teen girls pay attention to it. I have a 15 yr old daughter, her and her friends actuall y make fun of people whose teeth aren't brushed. I have heard it first hand, and it doesn't only happen once. It happens everytime they see the plague on their teeth and gums.

 I would also find on the internet pictures of people whom have terrible gums, and teeth due to not brushing them. Maybe he will take what I said about all the teen girls that come to my home, and tell me of the guys whose teeth are gross, and then the pictures you can find on the internet will wake him up>

Another suggestion, I would not allow any sodas, candy, sugar type cereals, fast food, ice cream etc, and tell him until he brushes his teeth each and every day those foods will not be allowed PERIOD !!