Baby Teeth .. What Should I Know??

The American Dental Association recommends the first dental visit 6 months after the appearance of the first tooth (most often means first visit around 12 months).

I highly recommend a pediatric dentist. They are used to dealing with the fears and geared to little ones. They actually have additional schooling beyond regular dentists. Our pedi dentist also showed us some really neat tricks for getting our daughter's teeth clean. One thing she showed us was for my husband & I to sit knee-to-knee, daughter's legs wrapped around one of us, her head in the lap of the other... the person who has her head does the brushing, the person with the legs holds the hands/head (whatever is needed). Plus she showed us where to put our finger in her mouth to keep it open while we brushed. I'll admit there were tears, but I'll take those over cavitites!

Our pedi dentist recommends the Oral B stage 1 toothbrush and "trainer" toothpaste (i.e., no fluoride) until your child is 2, and then she had us switch a to using fluoride toothpaste (kids toothpaste is the same as adults, just they're made with kid-friendly flavors).

You can get a fingertip brush. Or get a very tiny, very soft brush and get the infant (flouride free) paste. Twice per day. Dentist at 2ish.

We use a baby toothbrush and baby toothpaste (it's okay if they swallow it). we just look in the kid toothbrush section and find it easily. They label it pretty clearly. We only brush at night. I brush her teeth (she has four) and then give her the toothbrush to play with for about 5-10 minutes.

Our pedi told us that when they're that young, just to let them chew on the tooth brush. I used to give my daughter's their tooth brushes when they were in the bath tubs so they could practice brushing then. I didn't bother using the training toothpastes because they don't accomplish anything, and the kids just eat it. After my daughters turned 2 or 3, we started using tiny amounts of kids toothpaste (you can finds all kinds of brands at the store). Since they already had the brushing motions down from practicing in the tub, they were good at it by the time they were actually brushing.

Here is a helpful link

http://www.smilesdentistry4kids.com/dental-care-for-your-...

You should take him to the dentist before his second birthday at least. (It is a free visit in most states, just check with your child dentist.

Yes, brush in the morning after breakfast and before bed, you can use toothy wipes if you are afraid to stick a toothbrush in there, or use one of those finger (looks like a thimble) with some fluoride free training toothpaste. and give him water to drink afterwards

the dentist will clean his teeth and tell you if his growth is on track and if there are any concerns.

I still struggle to brush my toddler's teeth, he will not let M. help him, he insists on just biting on the bristles.

Good luck!