brushing teeth

when did you start brushing your LOs teeth?
how many did they have and how did you do it?

 

I didn't start until after they were walking/standing. I bought them each a kiddie toothbrush and some toddler toothpaste. I brush them every night before bed.

 

Our ped. told us at their 9 months checkup to start brushing them 2X a day. We bought the baby orajel brand toothpaste with brush(I think it's Elmo.) My boys both have 2 teeth.

 

We started brushing once a day around 8 months. (We still just brush them once a day before bed). We use these awesome baby/toddler brushes our dentist gives us for free. We do not use any type of toothpaste yet. They don't like to have their teeth brushed (they usually scream, which is the best time to swoop in and brush those teeth!)

 

Around 8 months we started wiping what teeth they had with a damp washcloth before bed. At 10 months, we used the stage 1 Oral B toothbrush and baby toothpaste. I think they both had 8-10 teeth around that time. I would give them a toy to hold at first to distract them and then brush their teeth. As they got older, they'd want to do it and then either DH and I step in brush when they are done brushing.

 

We started at about 9 months. One had 2 teeth, the other had none. We just used a baby toothbrush and some non fluoride toothpaste once a day before bed.

 

We started swiping a wet washcloth around 9 months when they got their first bottom two in. They also loved using a product called "Baby Buddy" which is a silicone toothbrush/teether that babies can chew on and clean their teeth at the same time. It has soft silicone bristles in the shape of a baby's bite, and is chunky enough for a kiddo that age to hang on to. It probably helped my LOs more for teething than anything else.

Now that their top two are starting to come through, we bought each of them their first real youth toothbrush and the Orajel training toothpaste and plan to use that on them before bed. They don't seem to resist too much at the moment. No telling how long that'll be the case.

 

dumb question?
how do they spit the toothpaste out and do you rinse their mouths, lol?

 

They don't learn to spit or rinse their mouths until they are quite a bit older. If you buy the baby toothpaste & don't use too much of it, it doesn't hurt them to swallow it. Most baby toothpastes don't contain any flouride which can upset little tummies if they swallow much of it.

 

I just wanted to address this topic since I'm a Dental hygienist. Start brushing teeth as soon as they come in. Just use a tiny amount of flouride free toothpaste. You also want to get them used to you putting fingers in their mouths etc. Do the best you can in big circles on their teeth and scrub the chewing surfaces when the molars come in. Let them see you brush your teeth to set a good example. Start them young. You want to make a habit out of it. If they resist they need to be forced unfortunately. Its tough love. Its alot worse to have to get cavities filled, crowns and teeth pulled then forcing them to brush their teeth. Also sticky retentive foods are the worst ex fruit roll-ups, raisins etc. All these stick in the grooves and cause constant acid attacks. You want to brush after these types of treats. Let them practice with the toothbrush but follow up with YOU brushing their teeth. They are too young to do a good job by themselves. Also try to floss. I know its difficult. Lay them back on the bed or a chair to get a better view. Keep trying if they don't like it. Hopefully , eventually if they let you do it that will be a good habit for life! :youcandoit:

 

Don't laugh but with my oldest and the twins although not every night I started using that little soft finger brush to wash their gums before they even had any teeth because I had read it was a good thing to do. It helped them get used to having it done for when they actually had teeth and needed it though. At one point when my twins were about a year they started fighting getting their teeth brushed by me because they wanted to do it themselves. So I solved that by letting them "brush" my teeth while I brushed theirs.

 

You might be a genius. Putting this one in my back pocket for later.

 

Our health unit recommends rubbing the gums before they get teeth with a bit of wet gauze (I use scraps of receiving blanket then throw them in the wash). She's really good, she opens her mouth for the wipe and sucks on it. I also try to sweep across her tongue. It's supposed to be before bed but because she nurses to sleep I usually just do it in the morning.

 

I spoke to my dentist and he informed me that I should brush them as soon as they get teeth. Formula and baby juice will cause their baby teeth to rot and they can get build up on their teeth. Gerber makes a tooth and gum cleanser called Grins and Giggles and it comes with a rubber cleaner that fits on your finger. I clean their teeth and gums twice a day. I have made it part of their morning and evening routine. My son has 6 teeth however my daughter doesn't have any and I still clean her gums.

 

i picked up the nuby toothbrush today with some baby oragel toothpaste.
they drink a bottle and fall asleep while drinking it usually.
when should i brush teeth? before the bottle?