When to Start Brushing Baby's Teeth?

My pedi recommended twice per day as soon as my daughter had teeth. I use a non-flouride toothpaste and a tiny toothbrush that you can get at WalMart. She actually loves having her teeth brushed and after I get a good brushing done, I let her have the brush and she tries to do it herself. She is 14 months old.

Start now! Get a baby toothbrush and non-fluoride toothpaste (though just a toothbrush and water is fine for now). Look for Ora-gel or Oral B non-fluoride toothpaste in the toothpaste isle of the grocery store. The Gerber baby toothpaste is about $5 or more for a tiny tube. The Oral-B brand is about $3 or less. Really, the point of doing it now is more for establishing a routine than it is for oral hygiene, so don't fret about starting "late." We started when ours were between 6 and 8 months whether they had teeth or not because we made it part of their bed time routine. We simply sat the baby on the bathroom counter in front of the mirror and let them chew on a toothbrush while we brushed ours. It was a family affair. After I was done brushing my own teeth, I'd ask the baby for his/her tooth brush and say "Mommy's turn" and make airplane noises or something while I swished the toothbrush around in their mouth quickly. Eventually the baby would copy me opening wide ("say ah! ah! ah! and oh! oh! oh!") and we could get to back teeth. Note: at this stage our goal was not to get a good clean, but to establish the habit and get them comfortable with Mommy or Daddy helping.
Our kids are 2 and nearly 4yrs and we've never ever had an issue with brushing teeth. The 4 yr old is to the point where we are working on technique and focusing on cleaning. She's getting pretty good with brushing on her own and is moving on to flossing with some fun floss picks (yes, Disney makes floss picks). She's had two dental check-ups and was comfortable enough to sit for a full cleaning.
The 2 yr-old thinks it's fun to let me help brush and he is the first to let us know when it's "brush teeth time."

I am surprised your child pedi has not mentioned this. As soon as the first teeth appear you should brush twice a day with age appropriate extra soft toothbrush and NON-FLUORIDE toothpast in the children's toothpaste asile. You should use the non-fluroride brand until such time that your child learning not to swallow the toothpaste (perhaps around age 3-4).
K.

Hi M.,

Don't you just love all these firsts. When my daughter was younger, before she even had teeth I had this little finger brusher I used with just water. When she got her teeth we progressed to a really soft toothbrush. It is really important to protect and keep the baby teeth clean. Although they are going to fall out, it makes the mold for the permanent teeth. Starting now would be perfect because it not only becomes a healthy routine for now, but a lifelong healthy habit.
One thing to keep in mind is using safe products. Many of the name brand toothpastes, and other personal care products for babies and adults as well, use harmful ingredients that they don't "advertise" they use. I've been doing a lot of research on these types of things and I would love to share any info I have if you're interested. Just e-mail me at ____@____.com. I'm definitely not a seller or distributor, just a concerned mom with a beautiful 2 year old to protect.

Best of luck! ..enjoy it all!

A.

I use "Gerber - Grins & Giggles - Infant tooth & gum cleaner". It comes with or you can get seperately a little rubber "finger brush". You just put it over the tip of your finger (like a thimble) & brush over the babies teeth/gums. BEWARE - when baby learns to bite... be very cautious of your finger. I can't believe how strong my little one's jaws are. I am too the point now that I just put it on her finger & try to manage her finger around her mouth (she won't bite her own finger!)
I brush mine once a day. Also, be sure not to use a regular toothpaste. Babies can't handle & don't need floride.

M.,

My son is 6 months old and we started brushing his teeth almost a month ago. He only has two but it helps us get into a good healthy routine. We only brush his at night after he has had his last bottle. He doesn't seem to mind, he even opens his mouth when he sees it. We bought the Orajel toothbrush and tooth paste set.

Oragel has a kit too that is nice. We still use the gel, though we graduated to a toothbrush when my son actually got teeth. I would use a baby toothpaste, or a natural toothpaste without flouride, or just water.

there are kits for infants/toddlers you should start when you KNOW baby is teething it's good for the gums and teeth. I hear the gerber kit is great, that's what I am planning on using once mine is ready for it.

I just use the finger brush on all 3 of my kids. I just used water until they were about 2 yrs old than I would use the floride free toothpaste until they learned to spit it out which was about 3 yrs old than I switched to regular kids toothpaste. I know my youngest(just turned 2) teeth are fine because she went to the dentist and they are all great. The dentist asked if I was using any toothpaste with her and I told her just water and she said that was fine.
When they were that young I just brushed them right before bedtime part of our bedtime routine.

NOW. Use the baby toothpaste w/o flouride. Oragel & Gerber make some, but there are others at the healthfood store to try too.

There you go!
D.

I started early...brushed with a toothbrush, brushed twice a day, used non-flouride toothpaste. Now he's 3, I use the flouride toothpaste.