Teeth Brushing - HELP!!!

HELP!!! i am at my wits end. My son is 16 month old, he didnt get his first tooth til he was 11 month old but he had a tooth brsuh to chew on from about 9 months. But now, it has always been a nightmare to brush his teeth, tried making a game of it, sat him with me whilst i do mine day and night, let him try and do it himself (but he just sucks on the brush until the minty taste has gone), i even splashed out on a couple of them brush baby brushes. Now it has got to the point where i have to pin him down to do it! (no fun for me or him bless him) and the screaming, the neighbours must think i am trying to murder him , any advice would be really appreciated.

My kids chewed their tooth brushes when they were younger,you'll get there. It's one of those things that because you know you have to do it becomes a worry if it doesn't work straight away. Even now my kids have days when they will let me do it for them to make sure their teeth get a really good scrub, then others days they wont let me near them and have to do it themselves. I find if I make a point of saying I'm going to do mine they are more likely to do theirs so let him see you doing it until he becomes interested

I've done pretty much the same as Kel hun. George is 3 and has only just started to try and brush his teeth properly. I found if I tried to do it for him he would struggle and it would end up in tears. It's a worry that they aren't brushing properly isn't it

We can't trust any of our children to clean their teeth on their own, we have to either watch them do it, or do it ourselves. We use those tablets that cling bright colour to their teeth when their teeth are still dirty so we can prove to them that they really need to clean their teeth again and it isn't just us moaning!

Have you tried taking him shopping so he can pick out a tooth brush, you can get some themed ones, ben 10 etc. You could make a point of brushing your teeth gives you nice breath but when you don't you have stinky breath and it isn't very nice being stinky.

Joseph went through a stage when he was tounger of hating brushing his teeth but I just put up with the screaming and satyed calm and sung to him. I am sure it is just phase and he will soon be happy haning his teeth brushed.

thanks for everyones advice, i will persevere with him, he used to be no problem with this, will try the picking out of his own toothbrush though see how that one goes :-)

Im sure you have heard this before and are sick of it, but when he is ready, he will do it. My daughter chewed on hers until she was old enough to understand what brushing was for, and that if she wanted anymore chocolate, she had to brush her teeth properly!!

Don't panic, it will happen, just be persistant and continue to let him watch you do yours and he will pick it up.