When should you start brushing your baby’s teeth ??
Milk teeth help children to eat, speak, guide facial growth and guide the permanent adult teeth into position. Decayed teeth result in inability to eat, inadequate nutrition and slurring or lisping of speech. Subsequent treatment affects school hours and is comparatively costlier. So it is imperative to take care of your child’s teeth right from the start.
Regular toothbrushing helps to remove bacteria and plaque that cause dental caries or decayed teeth and Gum diseases.
Brush teeth twice a day – in the morning and before going to bed at night.
Introduce toothbrushing early so that children know it as part of their daily routine. Children will need help and encouragement to develop this new skill over time.
Clean baby’s Gum Pad and Tongue
- Baby’s gum and tongue should be cleaned after the morning and night feed, even before eruption of any teeth with soft muslin cloth wrapped around finger in one sweeping motion with warm water.
- Cleaning can be started as early as when your baby is 1 month old.
Brush your baby’s teeth as soon as they appear
As soon as the first tooth appears (usually at around 6 months of age) brush gently with a soft children’s toothbrush and water or rice grain sized baby’s toothpaste (toothpaste should be fluoride free).
- Introduce brushing with finger brush and gradually move to small sized kid’s tooth brushes.
- You could also use a soft wet cloth to wipe over teeth and gums. Clean all surfaces of the teeth and gums twice a day: in the morning and before bed at night, specially if kid is hesitant to use brush and/or toothpaste.
- Introducing brushing at an early age is one of the most important factor of acceptance by the child.
Make brushing fun!!!
- Not all children will enjoy toothbrushing at first, but eventually most come to understand it as something we do every day as part of keeping our bodies healthy.
- Use your child’s favourite character styled toothbrush and toothpaste. Barbie themed and superhero theme toothpaste and toothbrushes are there in the market.
- Sing a song, dance on the brushing song, make funny noises, use a 2 minutes timer, showing animated videos on tooth brushing.
- Children imitate you! Brush in front of them, demonstrating explaining each step clearly to them.
- Try using two toothbrushes. One for them to hold and use and one for you to brush properly. Other children respond to ‘your turn, my turn’, where the child brushes first then the parent brushes.
- If your child doesn’t like the taste of toothpaste, try brushing without toothpaste first.
- There are many dental-themed story books that can be used to help teach young children about brushing teeth.
How to choose the right brush and toothpaste for your child
When choosing a Tooth Brush, remember:
Choose a toothbrush that is designed for children. It should have a small head and soft bristles.
When choosing the right toothpaste, remember:
- For children 0–6 months of age – use only water, no toothpaste.
- For 6 months to 3 years of age – use a rice grained sized non-fluoridated toothpaste as per recommended by the kid’s dentist.
- From 3 years until the child turns six years old – use a small pea-sized amount of low fluoride children’s toothpaste (check on the pack)
- From six years of age – use a pea-sized amount of standard fluoride toothpaste.
A children’s electric toothbrush is a good alternative for some children aged older than three years and can make brushing easier and more fun.
How to brush your child’s teeth
- Tooth brushing in children needs supervision by an adult till 7 years of age.
- While brushing, start by finding a comfortable position. This could be with your child sitting on your lap facing away from you with their head resting against your body while you cup their chin with one hand.
- Brush the teeth and along the gum line to clean every tooth thoroughly (about two minutes is a good guide).
- Brush gently in small circles. Brush along the inside surfaces and the outside surfaces.
- Brush back and forth on the chewing surfaces of teeth.
- After brushing, ask your child to spit out the toothpaste, and not to rinse with water. The small amount of toothpaste remaining keeps protecting teeth.
If using an electric toothbrush, read the instructions before you begin. Guide the brush to your child’s teeth first, then switch it on. Move the head slowly from tooth to tooth, including brushing along the gum line (where the gum and tooth meet). Do not press too hard or scrub, let the brush do the work.
You may also want to start using products such as dental floss with your child to make cleaning between teeth a good habit from a young age. Dental floss can be introduced to children when the contact between two teeth establishes, usually by 7 years. Ask your kid’s dentist for further details.
Teaching your child to brush their teeth
Introducing brushing at the very earliest is one of the major factor of acceptance by children.
At around age two or three, help them develop the skill by letting them have a go first, before you follow up to make sure all surfaces have been cleaned. Alternatively, one time by the children and one time by the adult will do.
At around the age of eight years, children have developed the fine motor skills needed for tooth brushing. However, supervision is often needed past this age until you are sure they can do it well by themselves.
Tips for brushing children’s teeth
Not all children will enjoy toothbrushing at first, but eventually most come to understand it as something we do every day as part of keeping our bodies healthy.
Some tips to encourage toothbrushing are:
- Make it fun! Sing a song, make silly noises play a children’s toothbrushing video or app – anything that will make the time enjoyable.
- Children like to copy others, so ask other family members to show children how they brush.
- Children respond to ‘your turn, my turn’, where the child brushes first then the parent brushes.
- If your child doesn’t like the taste of toothpaste, try brushing without toothpaste first. There are also toothpastes with fruity flavours or milder flavours which kids may like more. Try different flavoured toothpaste.
- If you are not having any success in the bathroom, try another location in the house.
- For older children, try a reward system. For example, mark the number of times their teeth are cleaned twice a day on a calendar and offer a reward when they reach a goal.