How Should I Clean My Baby’s Teeth
As soon as you see a tooth coming out, start cleaning the teeth of your baby twice in a day. When you start early, you will get your child to be used to the idea of teeth cleaning as well as avoid dental problems that might emerge later on. The first tooth of your baby will appear at around 6 months, mostly the bottom. There are, however, babies that get their much earlier.
Picking the Toothbrush
At the start, you can easily clean your baby’s teeth using a piece of gauze. Simply wrap it around your finger, smear it with some toothpaste, and rub it on the teeth. You can also use commercially available pediatric soft bristle brushes. Your child’s first toothbrush should have soft and round-ended bristles of varying lengths. It also should have an angled head. A teething baby should love the stimulation that goes with brushing, but make sure that you are gentle with it.
Choosing the Toothpaste
The active ingredient found in toothpaste is fluoride. When picking toothpaste, look into its packaging to figure out its fluoride levels. Make sure that it is not too high as this can be harmful for your baby. At most, get one that has 1000ppm of fluoride or less. Also, do not pick toothpaste with fruity flavors as your child might see toothpaste as food. Test on a few brands and stick to the one where your baby has a good reaction on.
Cleaning Baby Teeth
Brush your baby’s teeth twice in a day — in the morning and before going to bed. Here are some tips to help you out.
- Put a thin film of toothpaste on the toothbrush, about less than one third of the bristles.
- Brush using gentle and small movements, concentrating on the area where the teeth and gums meet.
- When done, get your baby to spit out the toothpaste. Do not rise your baby’s mouth with so much water as this will lessen the effects of the toothpaste.
- You should easily be able to reach the teeth of baby by letting him sit on your lap facing away from you.
- If your baby does refuses to get his teeth brushed, let him hold his own toothbrush so he will know that he is in control. Before cleaning up, you can even get him to try brushing his own teeth.
- Allow your baby to observe you while you brush your own teeth. Doing so will help him get used to the idea of brushing.
- Get more guidance from your pediatric dentist in Bristol township on the proper way to brush baby teeth.
A pediatric dentist’s in lower Makefield is bound to recommend the 1 year mark as the best time for your child’s first dentist session. In this first visit, children’s teeth cleaning and oral hygiene should be talked about. There are a number of pediatric dental offices in Council Rock school district that visit learning centers to discuss parents and children on proper dental care. Try to attend to one of these educational sessions.
