Oral Care

hi, I work in a pediatric dental office. We recomend brushing the teeth everyday with a soft baby size brush. There is toothpaste for little ones that has no fluoride, but you can just use water, the idea is to remove the plaque which the brush will do. Juice and milk are ok for mealtime or for a snack. but in between water is best. It is the constant sipping that causes the problems, that is why babies should not have a bottle in bed.(unless it has water in it) We recomend they see the dentist when they have 8 teeth. Hope this helps

They sell toddler toothpaste in the same area as other toothpastes. This is toothpaste that young children can swallow. You can also get a toothbrush that fits on your finger and brush their teeth that way . Only problem with that is they like to bite on it :) :) So you can just a starter toothbrush and use that toothpaste. Also the worst thing for your childs teeth are those gummy fruit chews because they stick to their teeth a long time. Good luck

You recieved alot of good advice here, except the one that says not to worry until age two. I work for a pediatric dentist as well as one of the other woman that responded. Before age two, we have had to remove the front four teeth on tons of little ones because of bottle rot. A simple brush over the teeth could have taken care of that. There is no reason for a child to be afraid of a dentist, they are there to help keep them healthy. Even if they have to have work done on their teeth, its only to help. The dentist doesn't give a child a cavity, they are there to make their mouth healthy. We like to see children at one year of age. Alot of dentist tell parents 3 or 4, sometimes thats to late. At one, its more of a get parents on the right track. Brushing daily is very important, especially right before bed time. Good luck with your little one, brushing is fun, make it a game. :)Sue

Hi~
Water is always a safe bet. You'll never go wrong...my 3 yr old asks for water all day long, even when there is juice around. As a 'treat' he gets a splash of juice in his water now and then for good behavior, etc. and he thinks it is like candy! lol As far as the teeth, we bought the baby a toothbrush and started giving it to him at bathtime. Of course, everything goes in his mouth so his chewing in the bristles did the job. It helped b/c later when we introduced the toothpaste, the feel of the brush in his mouth wasn't new.
~L.

Hi as soon as my son got his first few teeth i went to walmart and got a toddler brush with the soft head. They have Toothpaste made for toddlers you can find it anywhere it's usually like a mixed berry flavor or something like that. in the baby section it comes in a little pk with a rubber nuby type thing that you put over your finger and put the toothpaste on that but my son didn't like that so i would suggest trying it and if not then get the toothbrush. we brush after breakfast and before bed. they say you can just use a wet washcloth to wipe away all the stuff but they say it's good to do this after each meal. my son won't drink plain water unless he is seriously thirsty, otherwise i do have to put juice in it but i only put enough for taste and the rest is water and he has to sippy cups of milk a day, if your worried about that just take a washcloth to his gums after he drinks it only takes a second. hope this helps. jen

I used the rubber over the finger toothbrush and the infact toothpaste at that age. Clean your sons teeth 1 to 2 times a day. If you are giving him juice (I didn't give my son any until about 2 1/2) dilute it 50-60% with water and make sure you brush his teeth at night after he drinks it to prevent the sugar from affecting his teeth. I don't think juice will affect his teeth coming in. My Dr. always told me there is no nutritional value to juice and to withhold giving it as long as possible. Cleaning their teeth is actually much easier when they are this age than when they get older (my son in now 3 1/2 ) and want to do it all themselves!

You can brush his teeth. Buy a child's toothbrush and they have a ton of flavors to choose from for kids. My youngest son who is 2 now always loves brushing his teeth. I am not kidding when I say 20 times a day. Yhe sooner you start the easier it will be in the future with him. Because it will become a daily routine for him.
As far as milk and juice. My doctor always told me that 1 glass of juice per day ( I always do half water/half juice) - stay on the milk and he can have water if he likes it.

Hi T. -
Get him in on the action!...Take him into the bathroom with you when you are going to brush. Have him sit down and watch as you prepare both yours and his toothbrushes. Hand him his toothbrush & you brush yours. He will probably just chew on it -this more to get him use to the idea. Face him while you brush so he can see whats suppose to be going on. When your done with yours offer to "help" him with his & brush them properly. When he is a little older have him face the mirror so he can see his big boy self brushing. He's probably not all that into the characters yet but when he is - pay the little extra for the brush with his favorite character on it. I let my daughter pick hers out. She is three now and loves to brush - She refers to it as chasing the bugs away. Right now she is teamed up with Princess Ariel in the bug chasing business. Ha ha
The toothpaste is optional - theres nothing in toddler paste to help the teeth. Its more a favoring and concept tool. You can simply wet the brush and go.
With regards to the milk & juice - it is best to limit these items to just the recommended daily intake - Water in the evening is best - it really does help to flush the mouth.
Have fun with it - If you make it seem like an enjoyable activity rather than a chore he will too!

I was reading all of the suggestions, they are all very good. One very important thing to look for on tooth paste is that it contains NO FLORIDE. You child gets enough floride in the water he drinks...he should be drinking nursery water w/floride, or drinking city water. As far a juice goes, no more than 4oz in a day...really it works out to be only 2oz, 'cause you should water it down 50%. Milk should me no more than about 24oz, more than that will interfer with his appitite for real food.
You should brush his teeth twice a day. I have Daycare do it in the morning and then I do it at bed time.
I give Anna one tooth brush(it is kinda chewed up) and let her brush first, then I use a diff brush and take my turn.

I was using a finger brush with just water to brush my daughter's gums in the morning and at night during bath time. At her last wellness exam her doctor told me not to use the finger brush anymore, but switch to a toddler tooth brush - she had a mom in the previous week with a shattered finger! Ouch!
We've been using a little tooth brush now, still with just water.

You dont really have to worry to much about their teeth untill age 2. Its good enough to just wipe them off with a wash rag. I never used toothpaste at that age. They also have this thing u can put on your finger and rub the teeth with.
About juice, their only supposed to have 4 oz. a day. Kids will do whatever they get used to. So I always offer a lot of water and milk and if I do give juice I water it down. Juice is just empty calories and its not good to give to much. My 3 yr old started drinking way to much and I had to work with him to cut him back. Another thing I've become aware of is that most parents, I know I do, use mostly bottled water. Bottled water does not have flouride in it and city water does. So if u do mainly use bottled water than u should check with your doctor about giving flouride drops once a day. Flouride is very important for teeth and cavaty prevention. I get stuff from the pharmacy thats flouride and vitamin drops in one. I hope this is helpfull. ~J.

Hi T.!

My son went through a rough time with the dentist recently. He used to fall asleep with a bottle of milk and that messed up his teeth pretty bad...you should give your baby water at night....and there is toothpaste that is safe to swallow...you can get it in most grocery stores. I've cut down on my son's juice intake as well....about 8 to 10 ounces a day but I let him have as much milk as he wants...provided he eats solid food. Hope this helps!

oral b stages is great to use. i have a friend who is a dental technician and she suggested the oral b stages toothbrushes. keep using tap water and by 18 months you can begin to use the oral b stages toothpaste WITHOUT flouride. hope this helps!

I use a toddler toothpaste and toothbrush...before my daughter had more teeth I used one of the soft rubber brushes. We make a game out of brushing teeth. First I say "Mommy's turn" and we go Ah Ah Ah together to get her to open her mouth and I brush...then I say "Lucy's turn" and she moves the toothbrush around and sucks on it and chews on it..we do this a few times. I often do this when I brush my teeth in the morning so she sees what I'm doing as well. On top of that I sometimes let her move my toothbrush around in my mouth after I move hers around. Part of what you're establishing at this age is the importance of the routine of brushing teeth. I also would ask your dentist if the next time you have a visit your son could watch you get your teeth cleaned and then sit in the chair and have his teeth counted...just so he starts being familiar of the dentist so its not a scary place.

I would talk to you doctor about milk and juice. If your son is over a year he can probably drink milk and your doctor would have a reccomendation about how much. Juice is ok in moderation and diluted. I only give my daughter juice every few days if at all and I try to encourage water with milk. Have you thought about talking to WIC at all? They are a great support for moms with young kids and they help you know about what your child should be getting nutritionally.

Hope this helps...I am constantly trying to learn more about my daughters nutritional needs and hygiene...

My son is also just one year old. I have been using infant tooth and gum care since I brought him home from the hospital. It comes with a tooth and gum finger brush, but if your child already has teeth like mine he will bite your finger using this, so about a month ago I switched him to a small child toothbrush. My dentist also said I could just wipe them with a cloth occasionally. Hope this was helpfull