When should I start brushing my baby’s teeth?
August 13, 2020 5:02 pmIt’s never too soon to start a good dental hygiene routine with your children. Get the right practices recommended by pediatric dentists early, and you’ll set up your child for a lifetime of good oral health. Brushing little ones’ teeth and gums can feel like hard work – but a little perseverance will really pay off. Here’s some tips to get you started.
When to brush baby’s teeth?
You should start brushing as soon as the first baby tooth shows through. That’s usually around six months, though it can be a bit sooner or later than that. In fact, best practice is to use a damp gauze cloth to clean your baby’s gums even before teeth come through. This helps remove sugar formed by milk that is left in the mouth. Once you start brushing, make sure you supervise until your child is old enough to do it well by themselves.
Dealing with challenges
The least complicated way to brush a baby’s teeth is to rest them on your knee, with their head against your chest. If brushing is a struggle with older children – and it often is! – there are a few ways to handle it. Make teeth brushing into a game, with a song to sing. That can also help make sure the brushing carries on for the ‘gold standard’ of two minutes. Brush in small circles, and make sure all tooth surfaces have been brushed.
How often should I brush my baby’s teeth?
Brush teeth twice a day. However, don’t be discouraged if tooth brushing is difficult at first, and the baby gets more toothpaste on their mouth than on their teeth. The most important thing is to get your child used to the routine of brushing once in the morning, and once again in the evening. Use a baby toothbrush to make things easier.
What toothpaste should I use for my baby?
It should always be a fluoride toothpaste, as fluoride helps prevent tooth decay. The right dosage depends on the age of your child – those under three years should only have a smear of toothpaste with at least 1,000 ppm (parts per million) fluoride, then from three to six years a pea-sized of the same toothpaste. After six years old, your child should use a toothpaste with 1,350 – 1,500 ppm fluoride – the same as an adult. Avoid mouthwash for now, as it can wash away the fluoride toothpaste. It’s important that children spit out the toothpaste and don’t swallow it. Supervising their brushing will help make sure of that.
Do baby teeth matter?
Yes – they do! Even though your child loses their baby set and gains their adult teeth from the age of six to 12 years, baby teeth are vital for the proper development of adult teeth. Baby teeth act as placeholders for when the adult teeth come through – without them, adult teeth can come through in the wrong places and can cause problems. So it’s vital to have a thorough and regular toothbrushing routine when they are still a baby.
Visiting the dentist
Visit a pediatric dentist at Drs. Nicolas & Asp every six months, as soon as the first baby tooth comes through. The dentist can help keep check of the condition of your baby’s teeth and give advice when needed. It’s also essential to keep regular pediatric dentist visits in your diary, in order to identify and stop tooth decay. Tooth decay, once it takes hold in a tooth, can quickly spread if left untreated.
Health and diet
You can help prevent tooth decay by making sure your child has a healthy and varied diet, in addition to having a great daily dental routine. Eat lots of vegetables and fruit, and avoid processed foods. Drink water and avoid soft drinks and juices which can be very high in sugar. With all of these processes in place – oral health is all taken care of!
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