My sister in law is obsessed with her three kids brushing their teeth. She makes them brush after they eat or drink anything (besides water). She too, is obsessed and will even brush her teeth if she has a breath mint!
They were at our house the other day and I gave the kids apples off of my apple tree. As soon as they were done, she whipped out three little bags that had tooth brushes, dental floss, and tooth paste in them. They took their bags and brushed their teeth. I asked her how many times a day they brushed their teeth. She said probably about 10-15 times a day. She said that she feared getting cavities and/or dentures in the future.
The kids just roll their eyes and go into the bathroom to brush their teeth. She doesn't let them stay over night at other people's homes because she worries that they will not have the kids brush their teeth as much as she wants them to.
Isn't that a little much? Can't too much toothpaste almost be poisionous?
The kids are ages 4, 6, and 8 if that makes a difference
(btw: I brush 3x a day (morning, after lunch and before bed)
Update:I think she knows she has a problem, but won't admit it.
She's one of those women who likes to have it all together, a perfect home, perfectly dressed family, the newest and cleanest mini van...she wants people to think highly of her.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
She sounds like she might be a bit Obsessive Compulsive.
I don't know about that much toothpaste being poisonous or not, but brushing that many times a day is BAD for your teeth and can actually damage the enamel and CAUSE cavaties. Also, brushing immediately after eating has been proven to cause harm to teeth. You need to wait at least one hour after eating OR rinse your mouth out really well.
Also, losing one's teeth when one is older is only about 50% about brushing. The other 50% is about genetics. The best thing she could do is keep her kids away from fizzy and sugary drinks and decrease the number of times a day they brush.
Sounds like she has OCD, which is highly treatable with mild medication such as zoloft. It's a very common condition. However, herein lies the problem, she is passing on her obsessive traits to her children and now they have to suffer through it.
Too much toothpaste is only poisonous if it is ingested, so as long as they spitting everything out they should be ok.
Most dentists recommend the 3 times a day rule as you practice it, but it is perfectly acceptable to brush floss, etc once in the morning and once in the evening.
She may also be feeling like she is lacking in parenting skills in other aspects, maybe her children have problems that she does not know how to solve and as a result tries to make up for it by showing over concern in another area.
Too much fluoride IS harmful to your teeth. You should probably only brush your teeth 3 times a day max.
Brushing too much is the same as not brushing ...
She must be OCD!!! She needs help, and yes toothpaste can be harmful if too much is ingested! And YES, their gums will start to get too sensitive, and they'll have problems with that in the future!
She needs to stop!
Tell her she needs help, I think she know it too, don't you?
I think she is obssesed and needs help. 4-5 times a day would be ok but she is a little crazy.
seems like she may be a little obsessive compulsive. Its not healthy forcing her children to act the same way as she does.
Yeah, I agree. I think she is a little overboard with this. Is she like about other things, also?
It's a psychological problem. She should get some professional help.
She is compulsive. A mental disorder that should be addressed.
She has issues, lots and lots of issues.