My teenager and her teeth..?

How do I get my 17 year old to brush her teeth more.? I am not even sure she even brushes her teeth even once a day.





Other then having really bad breath I fear she is going to have teeth problems. Right now she has medical but it will end when she turns 19. After that is will be up to her to pay for her dental care because I do not have the money.





I know most will say she will brush her teeth when others start to comment on her really bad breath, but I am more worried about the damage it is doing to her teeth and the long term health problems I know it can cause.

My teenager and her teeth..?
Ok, she's 17 and she does not brush..Gross.





Honestly, you need to stop asking nicely and be blunt.





Tell her that her breath stinks and that it's absolutely disgusting not to brush.





My mother would have laid a lecture on me. Probably something like, "I raised you better then to be so disgusting at the age of 17. Do you want people to think you were raised by low class trash? Do you want your teeth to fall out by 25? Do you want to have gaps in your mouth and rotting gums."





Then she would nag me until I did it.





Put your foot down.





If she still doesn't do it; hold her down and brush them for her. Like an infant!!
Reply:haha if you couldnt make her brush her teeth as a toddler, then the teenager will most likely to listen either. She wants messed up teeth that her problem. Not yours.
Reply:well, show her some shock pictures and stuff


show her how haggish people who didn't brush their teeth look later on in life (decayed, yellowed) and see if that changes her opinion.





Bad hygiene of the teeth is my number one biggest turn off... it's such an easy task, twice a day (minimum) for a minute or two... just pretty gross if they can't stay on top of that seemingly simple task.





I've been around boys saying things about encounters with a female and saying how bad their breath was. Sad but true. I have been around girls saying the same about the boys...





Plus the taste of brushing is so delicious. And I can't sleep without flossing my teeth.





Show her all these posts online and tell her to heed our advice, not only for anesthetic purposes but tooth decay hurts major style.
Reply:Did she brush them when she was younger then stop brushing them? If so, then perhaps there is another problem... unwanted attention from someone at school and she is trying to "repel" them? Does the taste of her toothpaste make her sick? (my mom gets a sick stomach from the smell of any kind of mint so uses other flavors to brush)





While she has medical ( I assume that this includes dental....), make an appointment for her to visit a dentist. Let him/her tell her what to do. This will leave you out of it.





Good luck
Reply:Did she brush them when she was younger, but has now stopped or has she always been like this?





If this has been an ongoing thing w/ her...then it is time to take off the proverbial kid gloves. Be brutally honest w/ her. Tell her she as terrible hygiene and it is embarrassing to you and more then likely her friends. Show her pics of what happens when she doesn't care for her teeth. You could even have the dentist lecture her.





If this is a new thing...there may be a problem. She may be using this as a defense mechanism. By keeping her mouth nasty she may be trying to keep something/someone away from her. Set down and talk to her about this. Voice your concerns, but approach her with sensitivity and not frustration. A girl her age should care way more about how she looks, this would raise great concern with me if it is a new thing w/ her.
Reply:she is 17. Other than telling her directly "You have horrible breath and your teeth are beginning to look discolored. It turns people off and can lead to problems later on that you will have to find a way to pay for," there isn;t much you can do. You can't force her to brush. If her breath is bad and she is near you, simply offer her a mint or move. Show her some dental bills and state that in a few years, she will be the one having to pay for them. Then drop it. At this point, other people reacting negatively to the breath will make a larger impact. However, if her whole attitude towards self care has taken a dive...she isn't showering, no longer cares about brushing her hair or what she wears, isn't interested in anything she used to be...keep an eye on her. it could be a sign of depression.
Reply:Take her to the dentist and hopefully they will find a cavity and have to fill it.That will make her think twice about brushing her teeth.