Are Your Baby’s Teeth Healthy? Part Two

Posted June 30, 2016

If you have questions about how to care for your baby’s smile, it is important to talk with your pediatric dentist. Learning the best way to care for baby teeth is essential to helping your child grow up with a healthy smile. Children’s teeth generally begin erupting around six months old, often starting with the front four teeth. Don’t be alarmed, however, if your child is over a year old before his or her first tooth comes in. It is important, though, that you continue gently wiping your baby’s gums clean after feedings until the first is visible. At this point, it is time to begin brushing your baby’s tooth/teeth, instead!

Do Babies’ Teeth Really Need Brushing?

As soon as your child’s first tooth erupts, it is time to begin gently brushing the tooth or teeth clean twice a day. You will need to continue doing so, until your child develops the dexterity to hold a toothbrush, and the understanding to follow instructions not to swallow the toothpaste.

Use gentle motions and only a smear of fluoride toothpaste approximately the size of a single grain of rice until your child is approximately three-years-old. You will need to brush the teeth twice a day, generally once in the morning and once at night, just as you should be caring for your own smile.

As your child grows, you can increase this amount to a pea-sized amount of paste. Still, it is important to monitor children when they are young.

How Can You Teach Proper Dental Hygiene to Your Kids?

If you are looking for some helpful videos and songs, to make daily dental hygiene more fun for your kids, try these great resources.