How to brush child teeth

Brushing Your Child's Teeth: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Good oral health starts at a very young age. Taking care of your child's gums and teeth every day helps prevent tooth decay and gum disease. It also helps make it a regular habit for your child.

Learn how to care for your children's teeth and gums starting when they are newborn. When children get old enough, teach them how to brush their teeth on their own.

You should start caring for your child's mouth when they are just a few days old.

Gently wipe your baby's gums using a clean, damp washcloth or gauze pad.
Clean your baby's mouth after every feeding and before bed.

Your baby's teeth will start to come in between ages 6 to 14 months. Baby teeth can decay, so you should start cleaning them as soon as they appear.

Gently brush your child's teeth with a soft, child-sized toothbrush and water.
Do not use fluoride toothpaste until your child is over 2 years old. Your child needs to be able to spit out the toothpaste rather than swallowing it.
For children under age 3, use just a small amount of toothpaste the size of a grain of rice. For older children, use a pea-sized amount.
Brush your child's teeth after breakfast and before bed.
Brush in tiny circles on the gums and on the teeth. Brush for 2 minutes. Focus on the back molars, which are most at risk for cavities.
Use floss to clean between the teeth once a day. Start flossing as soon as there are 2 teeth that touch. Floss sticks may be easier to use.
Change to a new toothbrush every 3 to 4 months.

Teach your children to brush their teeth.

Start by being a role model and show your children how you floss and brush your teeth every day.
Children under age 6 may be able to handle a toothbrush on their own. If they want to, it is fine to let them practice. Just be sure you follow up and brush any spots they missed.
Show children to brush the top, bottom, and sides of teeth. Use short, back-and-forth strokes.
Teach children to brush their tongue to keep breath fresh and remove germs.
Most children can brush their teeth on their own by the age of 7 or 8 years.

Make an appointment for your baby to see a dentist when you see a first tooth or by age 1 year. Your child's dentist can show you other ways to help prevent tooth decay.

American Dental Association website. Mouth Healthy. Healthy habits. www.mouthhealthy.org/en/babies-and-kids/healthy-habits. Accessed July 8, 2021.

Dhar V. Dental caries. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 338.

Hughes CV, Dean JA. Mechanical and chemotherapeutic home oral hygiene. In: Dean JA, ed. McDonald and Avery's Dentistry for the Child and Adolescent. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA; Elsevier; 2022:chap 8.

Silva DR, Law CS, Duperon DF, Carranza FA. Gingival disease in childhood. In: Newman MG, Takei HH, Klokkevold PR, Carranza FA, eds. Newman and Carranza's Clinical Periodontology. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 21.

Updated by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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Tips for Brushing Baby & Toddler Teeth

If you feel unsure about how and when to brush your baby’s teeth, you are not alone! At Hurst Pediatric Dentistry, we regularly receive questions about brushing. When do you start brushing baby teeth? How do you brush baby teeth? What do you do if your child hates brushing teeth?

Parents should begin cleaning their baby’s mouth much earlier than most people realize. Tooth decay can begin as soon as the very first tooth breaks through your baby’s gums. It is important to make good oral care habits a part of your child’s daily routine right from the start to ensure that your child’s teeth and gums stay healthy. Here are some tips for how to do so.

Should I Brush My Infant’s Gums?

You do not need to begin brushing with a toothbrush or toothpaste until your infant’s teeth begin to erupt, but you should be cleaning your baby’s gums on a daily basis. The American Dental Association recommends cleaning your baby’s gums regularly, beginning just a few days after birth.

Making the cleaning of your baby’s gums a part of your daily routine right from the start will help ensure that, by the time your baby’s first tooth comes in, you and your baby are both already accustomed to regular mouth cleanings. Furthermore, because every baby teethes a bit differently, it can sometimes be difficult for a parent to tell when their baby’s first tooth is beginning to break through. Cleaning decay-causing bacteria from your baby’s mouth on a daily basis by wiping the gums can act as a safeguard to help protect the tooth until it becomes obvious that the tooth has erupted and brushing is required.

To clean your infant’s gums, gently wipe the gums with a clean, damp washcloth or infant toothbrush. If your child is teething, consider refrigerating or freezing the damp washcloth for a few minutes. The cold temperature can soothe your baby’s sore gums.

When Do You Start Brushing Baby Teeth?

Many parents feel unsure about when to start brushing baby teeth. A child’s first tooth often erupts at around six months. Do parents need to begin brushing with a toothbrush and toothpaste that early?

The short answer is that they do.

As soon as your child has a tooth, plaque can begin building up on the surface of the tooth and causing decay. As a result, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that you start brushing your child’s teeth as soon as the very first tooth comes in.

But what if your baby won’t even let you inside his or her mouth? What if your toddler runs away at the sight of a toothbrush? Is it okay to just wait until your child is a bit older and doesn’t mind toothbrushing so much?

The short answer here is that you should not wait.

Brushing a young child’s teeth isn’t always easy, but it is essential to establish, and maintain, a good oral healthcare routine to keep your child’s mouth healthy and prevent potentially serious infections. Just as you wouldn’t give up on changing your baby’s soiled diapers if your baby wiggled and made diaper changes difficult, you should never give up on keeping your child’s mouth clean and free of disease. Read on for some tips for how to brush baby teeth and how to brush toddler teeth!

How to Brush Baby Teeth

As soon as your child’s first tooth emerges, use a small-headed, soft-bristled toothbrush to brush your child’s teeth. Twice a day – in the morning and before bed – apply a thin coating of toothpaste to the brush (no more than a grain-of-rice-sized amount of toothpaste), place the brush at a 45-degree angle and gently brush in a circular motion for two minutes. Once your child is three-years-old, you can increase the amount of toothpaste to a pea-sized amount.

If your child has any teeth that are touching, you should also make sure to floss between them at least once a day. (Not sure how? Check out our tips for how to floss kids’ teeth.)

Parents should continue to brush their children’s teeth, or assist their children’s tooth brushing, until they are comfortable that their children are able to brush thoroughly on their own. The exact age will depend on the child, but typically parents should continue assisting with tooth brushing until the child is at least seven or eight.

How to Brush Baby’s Teeth When They Refuse

What if you feel like you know how to brush baby teeth in theory, but when you go to try it on your infant, your baby won’t even let you get the toothbrush inside his or her mouth? Fortunately, there are a few techniques that can help you provide your infant with the oral care he or she needs.

When possible, we recommend using the “knee to knee” technique for brushing an infant’s teeth. This technique requires two adults and works as follows:

The two adults should sit facing each other, with their knees touching.
Lay the infant down so that the back of his or her head is resting on one adult’s lap and his or her legs are on the other adult’s lap. (Make sure the child is in a stable position and cannot fall.)
The adult with the infant’s head on his or her lap should use one hand to gently lift the infant’s lips so that the teeth are completely visible and the other hand to gently brush the infant’s teeth.
The second adult should focus on comforting and/or distracting the infant, as well as gently holding the infant’s hands to prevent the infant from grabbing at the toothbrush.

If a second adult is not available to help you brush your child’s teeth, try placing your infant’s head in your lap and then using one hand to lift your child’s lips and the other to brush. (Make sure that your infant is in a stable position and cannot fall from your lap!)

If your baby’s back molars have not come in yet, you can also try placing a finger between his or her back gums to help keep your child’s mouth open for brushing.

How to Make Brushing Teeth Fun For Toddlers

Even if parents know how to brush toddler teeth, “fun” may not be the word they use to describe it. In fact, brushing your toddler’s teeth may feel like a downright battle. If this is the case for you, try out some of the techniques below with your toddler; brushing teeth might become fun instead of a power struggle!

Take turns brushing your child’s teeth, so that your child feels more involved and/or independent. You can brush your child’s teeth first and then let your child practice brushing after, or you can reverse the order.
Bring in a favorite stuffed animal or doll, and let your child “brush” the toy’s teeth (without toothpaste, of course) while you brush your child’s teeth.
Play some music while brushing. Turn on a fun song that lasts about two minutes, and let your child know that when the song is done, it will be time to rinse. Alternatively, sing a song specifically related to tooth brushing. For example, we often sing, “Brush, brush, brush your teeth / Brush them every day / Father, mother, sister, brother / Brush them every day!” to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”.
Tell silly stories as you brush to make things fun.
Let your child pick a toothbrush that he or she loves – one in your child’s favorite color or with a picture of a favorite movie character on it – to make the routine more exciting. Trying a fun flavor of toothpaste can help, too.

Schedule a Check Up with Hurst Pediatric Dentistry

Hurst Pediatric Dentistry is committed to giving your child a healthy smile. Dr. Lin is an expert at educating patients and parents together, so that parents can feel confident knowing when to start brushing baby teeth, how to brush toddler teeth, and how to make brushing toddlers’ teeth fun!

Hurst Pediatric Dentistry serves the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including Hurst, Euless, Bedford, North Richland Hills, Southlake, Keller and Colleyville. Call our office at (817) 510-6400 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Lin today!

This article is intended to provide general information about oral health topics. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition or as a substitute for the advice of a healthcare professional who is fully aware of and familiar with the specifics of your case. Always seek the advice of your dentist or other qualified healthcare provider with regard to any questions you may have relating to a medical condition or treatment.

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Proper brushing of teeth in children

Hello, my name is Antipyeva Alena Mikhailovna, doctor of children's reception of the network of dental clinics "VitaSmile".

Let's talk about proper brushing of children's teeth.

Good oral hygiene is very important for the health of the teeth and the body in general.

Today we will talk about one of the most common topics, I constantly tell children and their parents about this at the reception in the office - how to maintain oral hygiene in children at home.

Let's try to analyze in detail some very important nuances.

When should I start brushing my teeth?

We start brushing a child's teeth from the moment the teeth start to erupt. Every baby is different, but on average, teething begins at 6 months.

During this period, we begin to brush our teeth with a silicone brush (sometimes a fingertip) with a small amount of toothpaste WITHOUT fluoride. Toothpaste must be used, as simply mechanical cleaning of the tooth surface is not enough.

Toothpastes "0+" contain safe enzyme assistant substances to soften plaque and better remove it from the tooth surface. In addition, the teeth have just erupted, but their enamel has not yet matured, so “0+” toothpastes, as a rule, contain an agent that strengthens the enamel.

Sweeping movements of the toothbrush, from the edge of the gum to the tip of the tooth, from the outside and inside.

Choosing a toothbrush

At about a year, the silicone brush should be replaced with a full-fledged children's toothbrush. We choose a toothbrush according to age: 1+, 2+, 2-5 years, etc.

Choose a new toothbrush with your child - this will serve as a positive motivator for brushing your teeth.

From the age of about 3 years, you can use an electric toothbrush. An electric toothbrush should be with a child's brush head until adolescence.

Tip: You don't have to buy a children's electric toothbrush separately for a child and an electric toothbrush for mom and dad separately. Now on the market there are many models of Electric brushes with different modes and nozzles. For a child, we choose a children's nozzle and a mode “for sensitive teeth”, and for an adult we choose what suits and likes it best.

Can the child brush their own teeth?

You can let your child brush their own teeth. But parents always (up to about 8 years) need to clean their child's teeth. After all, his pen (due to age, motor skills are not fully developed) obviously will not be able to correctly, efficiently and completely clean out all the soft plaque.

At the age of 7-8, a child goes to school, learns to write - the final stage of the development of hand motor skills begins. And at this age, children can already brush their own teeth, but parents need to teach the child to do it right.

What if the child does not want to brush his teeth?

Talk to your child and try to understand him, find out the reason for not wanting to brush your teeth. Find the right motivator for your child. Sometimes there are several.

Perhaps you and your child will choose a brush or paste that both of you like. Perhaps, as a reward for brushing his teeth, he will receive a sticker in the Tooth Fairy Toothbrush Calendar, watching a new series of his favorite cartoon.

There are a lot of options and only you, as a parent who knows your child more than anyone else, can find the one that works. The main thing is not to give up.

How many times a day should you brush your teeth?

Brush your teeth at least 2-3 times a day.

In the morning: because less saliva is produced at night and there is more chance of soft plaque settling on the teeth.
In the afternoon: usually before midnight, after a delicious dinner.
In the evening: to clean up leftover food after dinner and go to bed with clean teeth.

Remember about the space between the teeth. In narrow interdental spaces, the bristles of the brush cannot always clean out plaque. This is where dental floss or an irrigator comes in handy. After EVERY brushing of teeth, it is necessary to clean the interdental spaces to prevent the occurrence of caries between the teeth.

Remember, a healthy and beautiful smile of children is the merit of PARENTS!

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when to start, what means to use

One of the most important moments in the development of children is teething. Many parents doubt whether it is necessary to brush milk teeth, do not know how to properly care for them, how to teach a baby to use a toothbrush, when exactly to start brushing teeth to brush children's teeth: when to start, what kind of child. Everything matters at this stage. It is also necessary to know what dental and oral care products are used for children of different ages. Diseases of milk teeth can cause the destruction of the rudiments of permanent teeth, as well as the occurrence of serious diseases of various organs.

In order for a child to have healthy teeth, dentists recommend:

When the first teeth appear, wipe them after each feeding with a damp sponge or gauze to remove food debris and prevent plaque formation. It is recommended to take a bottle with a pacifier from the baby immediately after feeding, drinking juices or sweet tea. Otherwise, the risk of caries formation increases.

From 10 months start brushing your teeth twice a day with a soft synthetic toothbrush using a baby toothpaste that will not harm your baby if swallowed. After each meal, it is recommended to free the teeth from plaque with a sponge soaked in water.

From the age of 3, you can use a paste containing fluorine (New Pearls, Doctor Hare), applying it to the brush in the form of a pea. Fluorine accelerates the formation of tooth enamel, thereby protecting teeth from caries. It is necessary to ensure that the child spit out the paste and rinse his mouth thoroughly after using it.

At the age of 6-9, children should not only use a brush twice a day, but also start flossing, as the gap between the teeth is reduced to a minimum. At this age, milk teeth are gradually replaced by permanent ones.

For an older child, brushing your teeth should come naturally.

Attention should be paid to cleaning the baby's mouth as soon as the first milk tooth appears. On the one hand, this will be an admission of the child to self-care for the oral cavity, and on the other hand, this is a necessary procedure for maintaining the oral cavity in good health. Uncleaned teeth always lead to not fresh breath, as well as the multiplication of microbes, which can lead to not very pleasant consequences for the baby's body. There are several important periods of the age of a small person, which should be paid attention to: Period from 3 to 7 months. At this age, it is necessary to begin to carry out the first manipulations with the child's oral cavity. It is during this period that the baby begins to experience discomfort, accompanied by an increase in temperature, unpleasant sensations in the gums or even pain. All the reason for the popping of the first milk teeth. You can use special gels and ointments to alleviate the condition of the child. And in order to accustom him to brushing his teeth from a very early age, you need to use rubber fingertips, specially designed for gum massage. Period from 7 to 18 months. The food that the baby consumes sticks to the teeth and creates a kind of plaque on them, which already needs to be removed with a brush. Otherwise, such a raid can create a favorable environment for the reproduction of bacteria, and thus, lead to

to damage to teeth. The so-called Priestley plaque in children can acquire a purple hue. It is better to use toothbrushes designed for this age of the child. Period of 2 years and beyond. When the baby has crossed the age of two, he should already be accustomed to self-brushing his teeth 2 times a day. Such a habit will help to avoid the appearance of caries and other undesirable consequences that may arise from the accumulation of microorganism in the oral cavity.

The indispensable basis of any preventive measures is daily oral hygiene, proper and rational nutrition, and the use of fluorides as directed. Consider prevention methods for different age groups:

Oral care for newborns and young children (up to 3 years)

Dental care for children should begin with the eruption of the first tooth. Before the appearance of teeth, oral hygiene can be performed with special wipes or a clean cloth moistened with water. Once all teeth have erupted, soft toothbrushes (Curaprox or Nenedent) and age-appropriate toothpaste can be gradually introduced. If the child is breastfed, then he receives a sufficient amount of fluoride with mother's milk (if she eats a balanced diet and takes vitamin complexes). When breastfeeding is over, fluoride comes from food and water.

Attention, poor oral hygiene, frequent night feedings and constant drinking of sugary drinks between main feedings provokes early caries!

At an early age, it is advisable to visit the dentist once a year, starting with the appearance of the first teeth, unless the doctor prescribes a different schedule of visits.

Dental care for preschoolers (3-7 years old)

At this age it is necessary to help the child brush his teeth, it is necessary to control this process, checking the quality of brushing and the amount of toothpaste used. It is important to brush your teeth in the morning and in the evening (evening brushing should be carried out especially carefully). Recommended manufacturers of pastes and brushes: Curaprox, Roks, Splat. To check the quality of cleaning, you can use tablets or liquid to determine the plaque "Curaprox", "Paro".

At this age, a toothpaste with a fluorine concentration of 500 ppm to 1000 ppm can be used as a preventive measure against caries on the recommendation of a doctor. The dentist may recommend prophylaxis with Touss Mousse gel (not suitable for children with intolerance to cow protein) or coating of teeth with special varnishes containing fluoride, as well as remineralizing gels, such as Rox.

Attention , poor dental care, snacking, drinking sugary drinks, eating disorders, a large proportion of food containing carbohydrates in the diet provoke caries!

At preschool age, it is recommended to visit the dentist 2-3 times a year. During the same period, it is advisable to see an orthodontist, especially if there are doubts about the correct development of the teeth (the child sucks fingers or tongue, sets the jaw incorrectly, teeth grow crooked, etc. ).

Dental care for schoolchildren (8-17 years old)

Children of this age take care of their own teeth, but parents or a hygienist can periodically check the quality of cleaning with tablets or liquid to determine plaque. It is good to use mouthwashes or special foams. Fluoride-containing pastes (1000-1500ppm) and Tuss Mousse gel applications can be used to strengthen tooth enamel (as prescribed by the dentist). At this age, it is necessary to pay attention to the condition of the gums: it is important to teach a teenager to use dental floss, an irrigator. Proper oral hygiene is especially important if you have braces. It is better to visit a hygienist to learn how to properly brush your teeth with braces. To help self-hygiene, you can have a professional cleaning of your teeth at the hygienist.

Attention , malnutrition, as well as poor hygiene when wearing orthodontic appliances worsen the condition of the oral cavity, increasing carious lesions!

At school age, it is advisable to see the dentist every six months, unless the doctor prescribes a different schedule of visits.