Do I Brush the Tooth?

I brushed my sons gums and teeth pretty much from day one and he loves to brush his teeth. He is almost 21 months. I think its fine brush or gauze at this point, they even have little finger brushes you can use. www.DiscoveryToysLink.com/LisaRyan LisaM

You are correct that gauze & water or a thin washcloth & water will do the trick. You don't want plaque to build up, nor food particles either, which can rot the tooth even before it's come in fully. Also, it helps get the baby used to the feeling of having the mouth and gums gently cleaned, which will be important for her whole life.

Hi J.,

Yes, you do want to brush the tooth with a very soft infant toothbrush. Plaque will stick to it and plus, it will get her to used to having her teeth brushed as more of them come in! Have you taken her to your dentist for her first oral exam? I am a dental hygienist, so just wanted to let you know that the ADA recommends a visit to the dentist when her first tooth erupts but no later than her first birthday. It is usually a very quick visit, but allows the dentist to make sure things are developing normally and no early decay is starting.

When my daughter was little I used both a toothbrush and one of those fingertip brushes. I think when they are teething that it feels good to get their gums rubbed (lightly). I think the earlier the better, to get into a healthy habit. Remember when you do incorporate toothpaste, to buy toddler toothpaste that is safe to swallow. Congratulations on the first tooth!!
A. C. :)

I believe it's very imporant to start brushing as soon as the teeth appear. it also teaches them how to take care of their teeth asthey get to be toddlers. Use water and eventually kids toothpaste....very little since they don't know how to rinse.
J.
www.J..myarbonne.com

I read that is good to brush even just the gums, I have been brushing with this little soft brush that you wear on your finger (bought it at publix) since my baby was 6 month old. Now he is 9 months and has 6 teeth and brushing teeth became a night ritual and he loves it.

It is important to rub clean or brush the baby's tooth, teeth and gums with only water. They sell a rubber fingertip-looking thing with tiny bristles...usually comes with baby's toothpaste. I got mine at Wholefoods. I have a 7 month old boy...we brush that 1 snaggle tooth everyday:)

How cute, congratulations! My daughter's sixth tooth is coming out now, she's 13 months old. I purchased a little kit from Orajel. It has a toothpaste and a little brush. The toothpaste is more like a gel, and I place a microscopic drop on the brush. And the brush is more like a finger puppet, you place in over your finger and brush. It's not only good to brush her tooth, but you can brush her gums as well.

It teaches her the importance of brushing and it also massages her gums. She'll enjoy it. Now my daughter takes it away from me and "brushes" her own teeth.

You can purchase this in a Supermarket, or a Pharmacy ( I think I purchased mine in CVS).

Good luck!
K

ABSOLUTELY!!! Brush it!! Start it early - I am an example of this very thing!! My son, who is almost 4 yrs old, is going in tomorrow to have his two front teeth extracted due to decay and an infection also caused by pacifier. He went off the pacifier about 9 months ago, but they started as cavities and then turned to a bigger problem. I wish I would have started earlier and then this may definitely had been prevented. So for my own mistake, I have to fork out $670 to have this done. I feel just horrible because I know this could have been prevented; however, my son is thrilled so I know he will do fine, but I do encourage to start young!!! Hope this helps!!

J. it's always a good idea to introduce routines earlier than later. Since brushing her teeth when she's older will be important to you, start now. Make it a routine...it could be a bed time routine after her bath. Gauze and water is fine for now...I think Gerber or Orajel makes a baby safe gel with a little finger brush for you to use on her teeth when she gets more teeth. Make it fun for you and your baby.

Yes brush it. It's important for the health of their teeth and to establish good oral hygiene, yes even at such an early age. It's more about introducing the whole tooth brushing thing to them. They make these little brushes that you can put on your finger, like a finger cot, and then brush their teeth or in this case tooth.(hee-hee). I was in dentistry for years and it was really sad to see all the little ones come in with cavity's because their parents just never took the time to teach them how important it was to "keep the sugar bugs" away. So make it fun and happy brushing!

I hope this helps,
L.

J.,
I have an almost 7 month old son (born 11-27) that has just cut his bottom two teeth. I made the mistake of not getting my daughter used to my cleaning her gums/then teeth and it was a battle when they really started to come in. You're right to be thinking of it now!
I was at Babies R Us yesterday and they had a little fingertip massage brush for babies in a carrying case for $1.99. I purchased one for my son. Thought I'd pass this along to you.

T. B.
Mom to Katie 2.5 years and Matthew almost 7 months.

I had the same worries with my son, and the pediatrician said not to use toothpaste, only water, so I would just use a rag or something at first then later down the road I would use a soft toothbrush and put water on it. It never hurts to start early