Parents want to keep a record of every milestone in their child’s first year of development and one of them is the emergence of the first tooth. But what they might skip is the first time brushing their baby’s teeth.
Parents should start cleaning their baby’s teeth at the very early stage of their kids’ life. You may wonder why you tire yourself to clean temporary milky teeth but it will help your kid to develop a good habit and ensure dental health for the lifetime.
You must be excited to see the little teeth but wait! Do you know when to start brushing baby’s teeth and the recommendations to protect those tiny cute teeth? No? Keep reading to get this valuable information.
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How soon should you start brushing a baby’s teeth?
Babies start growing their teeth mostly at the age of six months. Parents are usually hesitant to brush the baby’s teeth at this age. Do you know how soon should you start brushing a baby’s teeth? If not, we have the relevant answer.
As soon as the first tooth of the baby has emerged, plaque starts growing on them. So, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) suggests that you should start brushing a baby’s teeth soon after the emergence of their first tooth.
If your kid has just a gummy smile, you can use a wet cloth to clean its gums and remove the bacteria growing. This will keep their gums healthy and prevent any damage to the upcoming teeth.
When the teeth appear above your little one’s gum line, it’s proposed that you should start brushing his/her teeth twice a day (after the first meal and before bed). This is high time to keep your fingers away from those sharp incisors and shift the washcloth to a child-sized brush having soft bristles.
What is the best way to brush baby teeth?
You may have the theoretical knowledge of brushing a baby’s teeth but in practice, this may be very difficult for you. As your child may not allow you to do so. Do you want to know what is the best way to brush baby teeth?
Fortunately, I have some useful tips to do so.
- When your child starts growing teeth, you should use a soft-bristle child-sized toothbrush
- Let your baby play with the brush and examine it
- Make it fun by brushing each other’s teeth
- Let your baby know the benefits of it
- Brush your teeth at the same time when you brush your kid’s teeth
- Play some fun songs while brushing
- Moreover, apply only rice grain-sized toothpaste to it.
- Then hold the brush at 45 degrees and gently brush your child’s teeth for 2 minutes.
- Don’t forget to brush in a circular motion.
- To enhance your child’s interest in brushing, buy them a toy brush having bright colors and a favorite character.
- Let your baby watch you brushing your teeth regularly and learn this habit.
Once you celebrate your baby’s third birthday, you can enhance the toothpaste amount to pea-sized. You should assist your kid until you become satisfied with your child’s brushing abilities.
It depends upon the learning ability of your baby and typically you should help them until he/she is 7-8 years old.
Is fluoride safe for babies?
When you start brushing your baby’s teeth with toothpaste, one question must be haunting you “Is fluoride safe for babies?”
The answer is small amounts of fluoride which babies will swallow is not harmful. The babies will only use grain-sized toothpaste and it’s safe for them as recommended by AAPD. Don’t worry about it as it causes no damage. But you should teach your baby to spit it out after brushing.
Moreover, fluoride is beneficial for keeping teeth healthy and fighting plaque. If still, you are not satisfied, try to use fluoride-free toothpaste but they can not prevent tooth decay.
What happens if you don’t brush your baby’s teeth?
Parents mostly become frustrated because of their child’s hate towards brushing. If you are one of them, you must be looking for some ways to know what happens if you don’t brush your baby’s teeth.
Studies showed that approximately 19% of kids are suffering from dental caries. It’s because of poor oral hygiene and it leads to:
- Sleeping and eating difficulty and ultimately poor food digestion.
- Inflammation and diseases in the whole body of your baby
- Bad breath
- Plaque buildup
- Food particles are left on the teeth and bacteria break them down resulting in acid formation which creates holes in the teeth
- Cavities formation in teeth and whenever anything gets in them, they hurt
- Damage enamel
- Permanent teeth of babies are also damaged.
- Your child may not be able to concentrate in school.
- A survey revealed that the speaking and pronunciation abilities of kids are also affected.
Should you floss baby teeth?
Flossing is the best method for adults to clean the surface between teeth but should you floss baby teeth? The toothbrush is not enough to completely clean the teeth either its baby or permanent teeth.
Flossing is the best option, in any case, to remove bacteria and plaque from the surface between the teeth. You can begin flossing when your child’s gum shows little razor-sharp teeth. Flossing your baby is not rocket science, it’s the same for the kids as you do it for yourself. The simplest method is here:
- Hold the floss (interdental cleaner) between your index fingers and thumbs
- And move gently between the little teeth
- Carefully slide the floss under the gum line and up and down between teeth
- Don’t forget to floss each tooth
Flossing can reduce the chances of dental caries and cavities. It can also help to remove plaque (a sticky film) between teeth.
Conclusion
Parents want their kids to be happy and smile all the time. You can help them to have a beautiful smile by assisting them to clean their teeth and keeping them healthy.
Now you have adequate knowledge regarding when to start brushing a baby’s teeth. Implement this knowledge and clean your baby’s teeth using toothpaste and floss.