When should I brush my child’s teeth?
Even if your child doesn’t have teeth, it’s important to build healthy habits now. Gum massage is very enjoyable for babies.
As the teeth grow in, brush for your child, paying special attention to the back sides of the teeth, and then let your child hold and play with the toothbrush to build muscle memory and brushing habits.
Since a child’s hand dexterity is not good enough to brush effectively, it’s important to brush for your child until at least 5 years old.
What type of toothpaste for my child?
Training toothpaste is best until your child can spit the toothpaste out effectively. The fluoride that is in regular toothpaste can cause harm to your child if swallowed. When your child is old enough to spit the toothpaste out, use only a smear or LESS than a pea-sized amount of tooth paste each time they brush.
It’s important to see the dentist within 6 months of new teeth coming in so the teeth can be treated with a fluoride ion so that it will incorporate itself into the tooth tissue and create a stronger tooth.