Betsy of Fluffy Windover's Diary discusses trying to get Edwin to brush his teeth the right way in this week's Toddler Thursday:

There are many similarities between toddlers and wild animals. Never is this more apparent than when you try to brush their teeth. Even domesticated animals don’t take well to teeth brushing (in fact, the vet knocks our cats out before a cleaning, and our cats are generally easier to manage than our two-year old). So what’s an oral hygiene-conscious mom of a toddler to do?

Edwin does brush his teeth. He’s got the cute Elmo tooth brush and mango orange toddler toothpaste. He happily stands at the sink and “brushes” his teeth. That’s not the problem. The problem is his technique. He sucks all the toothpaste off, swipes the brush across his front teeth once or twice, then triumphantly declares, “All done!” when he is in fact nowhere near all done.

I have tried to brush them myself to get a more thorough cleaning in, and let’s just say that it didn’t go well. I’ve noticed that Edwin doesn’t take well to being held down and prodded, so I really like to avoid that if at all possible. But I worry about his teeth. He’s not doing an effective job of brushing, but how concerned should I be? Is it worth me winding up with a black eye to make sure his teeth are brushed properly?

I’m starting to consider sending him to the vet along with the cats.