Brushing Infants Teeth

Yes! Start now so that she'll be used to it once she's 3 and should brush on her own. I always praise my daughter while we brush and after saying "GOOOOOOD Teeth Brushing!!" And she loves it. Sometimes she wants to do it herself (and she moves her jaw back and forth on the bristles--so cute) but mostly I do. I use water, or sometimes I use the baby orajel gum cleanser (pink tube.) She's 14 months with 10 teeth. Have fun!

J.,

Try oragel tooth gel. It comes with a finger brush included and does not have flouride in it, so its safe if she swallows it. After you brush, just wipe her mouth out gently with a wet washcloth to get any excess tooth gel and she good to go. Watch out for biting! Good luck:)

Yes the sooner the better, even if it is just with water.

J. - yes, you should be brushing your daughter's teeth. What works best for me is the gum cleanser (with no floride) and the finger brush that comes with it. I feel like I get to her teeth easier and better with that than the toothbrush, although I use the toothbrush also. She likes the taste of the toothpaste, so its never been a problem.

yes, infant toothpaste and an infant toothbrush. The infant toothpaste is ok to swallow.

You should brush your baby's teeth. You can use baby toothpaste.

K.

J., we started brushing our guy's teeth around that age with the finger brush thing. It wasn't long before he'd start chomping down on unsuspecting fingers so we moved on to a brush. We brush (singing "Brush-a-brush-a-brush-a") his tops and bottoms then let him "brush" his teeth for a few mintues. There are toddler brushes you can get with special baby toothpaste. Those are the best ones to get.

Yes, you should start brushing them. Gerber and Oral B makes a gum and teeth cleanser that is flouride free, so that it's okay to swallow. I started brushing my daughter's gums when she started solids. She didn't start getting teeth until she was almost 13 months! Talk to your pediatrician about when you should take her to a dentist.

Hi J.,
I read that we are supposed to start brushing before teeth come in. I think this is to prepare the child more than dental hygene. I started brushing my daughter's gums at about 6 months with a baby toothbrush I bought at WalMart. When her teeth came in I found that the tooth brush wasn't getting them clean enough so I got a finger brush, it's a rubber brush that helps remove plaque and stimulates the gums. This along with the toothbrush (which I let my daughter use by herself) worked very well with the gum cleaner or Tom's natural child tooth paste. You say she has several teeth now? I would recommend you speak with your Pediatric Dr before giving her any floride tooth products.
hope this helps
E. c

Hi J.,

I take a small toothbrush (they sell baby toothbrushes at Wegmans or other drugstores) and wet it with a little water and lightly run it over my son's 2 bottom teeth. He actually likes the sensation and doesnt fight me. You only need to do a few back and forths to do the job. Hope this helps.

J., I would call your family dentist for information on how they want you to take care of your daughter's teeth. Dentistry changes all the time, so it's best to call a professional for advice. I just had to learn one more method of brushing for me, I think I've learned at least 10 in my lifetime. There is research going on all the time, so things change from year to year.

If you don't have a family dentist, I recommend that you get started with one, so her teeth (and yours) will be protected and function properly.

Hi J. - you should brush your daughters teeth - although it may be a little difficult. With my daughter I tried a couple of different things - I had a gum cleanser initially - then when she got teeth in I bought a little toothbrush for babies - sometimes the brushing didn't always work so I would sit with her and let her chew on it - she fought me at first but eventually she got use to the brushing.

use a soft baby toothbrush w/ just a dab of toothpaste. She don't need much cause you want her to swollow as little as possible. She also don't need much cause to much floride can be bad for her. You basically are just getting her in the habit of taking care of her teeth. As she get older and more teeth come in and she learns how to spit out the toothpaste you will then give her more.

Hope this helps,
P.

Hello!

My daughter is now 17 months and she started getting teeth around 6 months. She now has all of her front teeth (top and bottom) and several molars. My doctor advised me that I wipe her teeth with a cloth when she was younger. Now that she has molars as well I brush her teeth with a toothbrush without toothpaste. A type my doctor gave me to ease her into the use of a toothbrush is to give her a toothbrush that she can play with, which helps her to get use to what a toothbrush feels like in her mouth. I was also told that I should not use toothpaste until she is at least two years old and that when I begin to use toothpaste, it should be without flouride. I hope this helps. Brushing infant/toddler teeth can be a challenge at times. I think the earlier you start the easier it may become. Good luck!

My pediatrician said that it was fine to use the infant tooth & gum cleanser when my son first started to get teeth or just take a new white washcloth with plain water to wash out his mouth & teeth.

Hi J.!
I started brushing my daughters teeth when she got teeth in. At Target or wherever, they have toothpaste just for infants and I got a tiny toothbrush for infants as well. All of this is in where all toothbrushes/toothpaste is. Just make sure its the infant toothpaste, it will say its ok to swallow and it comes in a berry flavor.
I brush her teeth after breakfast and before bed.
Hope this helps!

My sister is a dentist and her husband is an orthodontist, so this is what they do with their 18 month old daughter: they bought her a kids toothbrush and special baby toothpaste. It is important that you buy this toothpaste and not use regular toothpaste. The flouride level is low in the baby toothpaste. If you expose them to too much flouride when their permanent teeth are developing (underneath the baby teeth), it may leave brown spots on their future permanent teeth.

They brush her teeth everynight for 20 seconds on the uppers and 20 seconds on the lowers. Then they let her brush her own teeth.

Hope this helps!

Yes, you want to brush her teeth. I would use an organic toothpaste because of the harmful chemicals in the store brands. You can email me ____@____.com and I can send you the information of organic toothpaste as well as give you sites to educate you.

I am a mother of two one boy 6 years old and 1 girl 6months old. I also have a medical back round.