I Need Tooth Advice for My 15 Month Old

Hi Stacy, I am a dentist so here is the "word." You should aim for brushing your child's teeth twice a day. Toothpaste NOT required and I find for my 15 month old that the toothpaste just makes her spit and fuss. Important: if you do use toothpaste, if it has fluoride you can only use the smallest amount (a smear or less) as fluoride can be toxic if swallowed in larger doses. I use toothpaste maybe once a week or less for my daughter but mostly just water to soften the brush.

Now for the twice a day: in the morning you can let your child brush his own teeth while you brush yours. In the evening, the last thing in his mouth before bed is a thorough brushing by the parents.

An easy way (with practice) is to have the non-brushing parent hold the child on his/her lap with the child facing them. Then you lay the child back into the lap of the brushing parent while the non-brushing parent gently holds the hands of the child. You can then get your finger in between his gums (avoid the molars) and it will not hurt if your child bites down. Now you can keep his mouth open just enough to insert the brush. With the other hand give each individual tooth a good front and back scrubbing. This is the technique I use to examine young children in the office. Parent holds child and lays child into my lap.

Now this will most likely meet with disapproval from your child the first few times. My daughter is not a fan and we have been doing this for months. We try games to make it more fun and some nights are fine, others not so much.

Just keep at it and your child will reap the benefits of no decay and a tolerance for people checking his teeth. Another rule of thumb: the first dental visit should be within 6 months of getting the first tooth. This allows early screening for problems, and great advice for parents to get the job done at home.

Hope this helps. Dr G.

We brush teeth before going to bed, sometimes in the morning if our good morning kiss isn't so sweet smelling. You can get toothpaste and brushes at any store for babies. We've always used Oral B baby toothpaste, but there are others. You can get brushes at Babies 'R Us or the regular store, as well. They are extra soft bristles and smaller than the children's brushes. Once our older son got to where he could do it by himself, we let him do it in the morning as part of his routine for getting ready, but still helped out at night. Our younger son does suck the toothpaste all off, but we still brush anyway. Both our B. have loved it, but it does take persistence getting them used to it.

At fifteen months it is a good time to introduce him to the dentist. Exposing him early will keep the fear factor down later and a positive for him. Find a good pediatric dentist around your city. Brushing them at night is VERY important, let him chew on a toothbrush to get used to it, finding a small soft baby toothbrush does a much better job then the finger tip one. He should have them brushed for sure before bed when decay can set it. If you don't brush, yes you could be setting him up for early tooth decay, bottles and sippy cups are big decay causers and not brushing will help it along. If you miss a night it isn't the end of the world, brush them in the morning. The more you brush during the day is fine. It is easy to forget, we all have done that! :) My daugther at that age just loved playing with a toothbrush (UNDER my supervision) and never walking around with it but only in her highchair and both of my kids by 16 mos went to a pediatric dentist.

My daughter is 19 months old and we have been doing this for a while, after bath I get her baby toothbrush and I put some of that baby toothpaste on it and I let her chew on the toothbrush while I get her lotioned and dressed. She likes to chew on it and now I am able to "have a turn" after she is dressed. When I get her out of the bathtub and wrapped in her towel she will say "teeth" so I know that it is something she is starting to know is in her routine. I wouldn't be obsessive about brushing just get him used to the toothbrush I think chewing the bristles gets most of the sugar bugs off at this age.

just brush his when you brush yours. if you brush together it may be easier to remember. this is the only way i can remember to brush my kids' teeth. i let him do it first and then i get in there and clean up what he missed. this is a good way to prepare for the dentist too. if they are used to you brushingthere teeth and looking around in there it may not seem so wierd when the dentist does it!

Hi Stacy - I would recommend creating a habit of brushing his teeth every AM and PM. My dentist has a sign in his office: "Only brush the teeth you want to keep". It will help him form a good habit that will stay with him his whole life.

Start with a baby size toothbrush and the OralB baby toothpaste that's fluoride-free. You may only get a few strokes in at first but be consistent and stay positive and he'll get the hang of it. Now that my son is 2, we bought a toddler size electric brush that has a small spinning head on it. My little guy loves it. We let him play toothbrush as often as he wants to.

It sounds like your son is a lot of fun so why not make it into a game - teach him the word "teeth" just like "eyes, nose) You could brush your teeth at the same time, or he could help you brush your teeth, etc.

My little guy likes to open wide and say "aaahhh". He's even learned how to rinse and spit.

good luck to you!