Haha, toddlers definitely have a flair for the dramatic. When we switched to water-only brushing, my kid's morning breath actually seemed worse at first...but weirdly enough, after a couple weeks it improved. Maybe their mouths just need time to adjust? Did yours settle down eventually?
We tried water-only brushing for a bit too, and honestly, I thought my kid's breath could've knocked out a small animal at first. 😂 But after about three weeks, it did seem to mellow out. Maybe their mouths really do need time to adjust? Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that toothpaste might be doing something useful...so we ended up compromising with a tiny smear of fluoride paste every other day. Seems to be working okay so far.
We went through something similar with our youngest. I was pretty hesitant about ditching toothpaste altogether because, honestly, dental bills terrify me more than anything else. 😅 But I totally get the breath thing—my kiddo's morning breath could've peeled paint off the walls at first. We tried water-only brushing for a couple weeks, and while it did improve a bit, I couldn't shake the anxiety that we were missing something important. Eventually, we settled on using just a tiny smear of fluoride toothpaste every night, mostly because I figured a little prevention now might save us from bigger expenses later. So far, so good...and no more dragon breath in the mornings, thankfully. Sounds like you're finding a good balance too, so hang in there—it does get easier!
We had a similar experience with our granddaughter when she was about three. I remember the toothpaste battle vividly—she'd clamp her mouth shut tighter than Fort Knox, and honestly, I didn't blame her. Some of those kid toothpastes taste pretty awful. We tried water-only brushing for a bit too, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we weren't quite doing enough. Eventually, we found a toothpaste she tolerated (strawberry flavored, of all things), and we stuck to just a tiny dab each night. It eased my worries about cavities and definitely improved her morning breath situation—no more waking up to dragon fumes, thank goodness.
Sounds like you're doing great finding your own balance. Every kid is different, and sometimes it just takes a little trial and error to figure out what works best. You're definitely not alone in this struggle...hang in there, you're doing better than you think!
"Every kid is different, and sometimes it just takes a little trial and error to figure out what works best."
Couldn't agree more with this. We went through something similar with my youngest—he absolutely hated mint toothpaste and would literally run away at the sight of it. We ended up trying a bunch of different flavors, and oddly enough, he settled on a mild orange one. Who knew citrus toothpaste was even a thing?
One thing that helped us was letting him pick out his own toothbrush at the store. It gave him a sense of control over the whole brushing routine, which made him less resistant overall. You're definitely not alone in feeling unsure about whether water-only brushing is enough—I had the exact same worry. Finding a toothpaste they tolerate really does ease your mind about cavities and dental health.
Sounds like you're already on the right track, though. These battles are exhausting, but they don't last forever... hang in there!
