Babies teeth usually start to appear from the age of six months and continue to arrive until they are about 24 months old, of course different development rates mean that these ages are guidelines only, if your child is early or late with tooth development it is usually nothing to be too concerned about, however, if you are particularly worried visit your dentist who will check that all is as it should be and can help by providing reassurance to worried parents. If a child is especially early or late in tooth development, parents should be aware that this trend is likely to continue until a child has all of their adult teeth.
When and how to start cleaning?
As soon as a baby’s first tooth starts to erupt it is important that a parent/carer cleans it regularly, this means cleaning babies teeth several times a day, every day. At this early stage the object is to remove any sticky milk residue which is left behind after feeding. Toothpaste is not vital, it is the physical removal of debris that is important to achieve.
From six months old
- When a child is very young the easiest way to clean a tooth or teeth is by holding the baby so that their head is cradled in front of you, this helps with access to the baby’s mouth and can somewhat prevent difficulty with too much wriggling on baby’s part.
- Using a piece of damp gauze or muslin cloth wrapped around a forefinger, gently wipe over all surfaces of the tooth or teeth. Remember the baby’s gums can be sore when they’re teething, so don’t be too vigorous with the cleaning at this stage.
- Do not try to use adult toothpaste when cleaning a baby’s teeth as too much fluoride can cause fluorosis, which leaves a permanent mottled effect on tooth enamel, it can also cause diarrhoea if ingested, instead low fluoride toothpaste is better if using toothpaste at all.
From six months to eighteen months old
- From 1 year to 18 months old you can buy a very soft small headed toothbrush specifically designed for babies of this age. You should brush the toddler’s teeth at least twice a day, most importantly before bed.
- The easiest way to brush toddlers’ teeth is to stand or sit behind then with a hand across their forehead and using either a small headed soft baby tooth brush or one which fits on to your finger, brush all of their teeth on all surfaces using small circular motions.
- You can use a low fluoride children’s tooth paste if desired, fluoride is advantageous for protecting teeth against tooth decay, but as previously mentioned too much fluoride can cause fluorosis, so encourage your toddler to rinse with water after brushing if using toothpaste.
- As with effective cleaning of adult teeth use a routine to ensure you remember to clean all of the teeth on all surfaces i.e. start at the back of the mouth and work right to left on the front surfaces teeth, then work from left to right on the rear surfaces of teeth, and right to left on biting surfaces of teeth, and the same for lower teeth.
- It can be advantageous to have another brush around and allow the toddler to use it themselves, after meals for example, even if they just chew on it, this will help to remove food and plaque debris and will help them to get used to the feel of a tooth brush in their mouth.
From two years old
From about the age of two you can try to teach your child how to brush their own teeth. You will however, physically need to clean their teeth (even if it’s after they’ve tried themselves) until about eight years old as they do not have good enough manual dexterity to effectively do it alone until this age, but encouraging them while they’re so young can make life easier as they grow older.
