baby teeth cleaning?

Sara - posted on 06/22/2010

i brush my daughters teeth one at breakfast and then b4 bedtime,i let her chew her toothbrush during the day.The toothbruch i have for her she can hold ,it is rubber with many little teeth on it,great for teething.the other one i have to clean her teeth is a finger one that fits on my finger,i use that for the cleaning.i dont go overboard with the teeth cleaning,its bad enough that they hurt from all her teeth coming in.but other moms may think different.

Crystal - posted on 06/22/2010

Ask your own dentist. After my son was born I went in for a routine cleaning and he gave us a tiny toothbrush and suggested to start as soon as the teeth started coming in. I would say they are your best resource for info.

Marci - posted on 06/22/2010

I use the baby Grins&Giggles tooth & gum cleaner with brush I put on my finger! I try my best to do morning & night but mostly once a day!

Nichole - posted on 06/21/2010

I've been cleaning my son's mouth since he was 2 months. I started with just a gum brush and when he started getting his teeth, I brush them in the morning and at night when I brush mine, so he understands it's important.

Aimee - posted on 06/20/2010

I started as soon as mine got teeth. I only do it at night. seems like the best time, and after their teeth are clean they are only aloud water, no juice or milk. my daughter is now 2 and we brush her teeth after her baths(depending on when) and then before bed. she loves brushing her teeth, and my son is 10months and he also loves it, i clean his after bath time as well. I do sometimes forget, things get busy with two little ones, i wouldnt say its extremely IMPORTANT but its good to start them on good habits at an early age.

Shannon - posted on 06/20/2010

We started practicing good oral hygiene from the time our daughter was born. at bath time (before bed) we would wipe her gums and tongue with a soft wash cloth to get out any build up of milk. At 4 months we let her play with a tooth brush and she would brush her "teeth" while mommy was brushing. She didn't get teeth till 8 1/2 months and she still only has two, but She now knows that after breakfast before her nap and before bed she has to brush her teeth and she gets excited when I say lets go brush your teeth. She brushes while mommy is brushing then when I am done, I go in and do a good brush with a small drop of an organic infant tooth paste. She really gets the hang of it, and has no problems with me in her mouth. As for the bathing Belle has a bath every night before bed its part of her night time routine but only gets her hair washed every other night. when she was younger she only had a bath every other night and a wipe down on the the off nights.

Miriam - posted on 06/19/2010

My baby's doctor told me to wait until he has all his teeth... I can count 8 right now... Maybe i shouldn't pay attention to the doc since everyone else is telling me to brush his teeth...

Eve - posted on 06/19/2010

It's good to instill tooth-brushing habits at a young age, but it's not just about cleaning their baby teeth. Bacteria in their mouths can cause a lot of other health problems, too.

We have a tiny toothbrush that we use. It came with trainer toothpaste, but that's basically just sugar gel, so I won't start using that until he's 2-3 and needs to learn to use toothpaste without swallowing it.

If I'm feeling a little lazier, I just use a wet washcloth to wipe his gums and teeth, then use the other side of the cloth to wash his face.

He really likes the feeling of the brush on his gums and opens his mouth willingly, although he sometimes tries to grab the brush from me. I let him play with it himself after I'm done with my part.

I often brush my teeth at the same time so he can see it modeled, and he thinks it's hilarious when I spit. :)

Rosie - posted on 06/17/2010

I brush my son's teeth every morning but the bedtime routine is difficult. Right after he has his bottle he goes to sleep, what am I supposed to do, wake him up so i can brush his two teeth?? I brush them after his last meal (baby food) but i'm worried that's not enough since he drinks formula after that.....

Angie - posted on 06/17/2010

Lisa, where'd you find that at?

*Lisa* - posted on 06/17/2010

We found these awesome little baby tooth brushes! My son loves his. Basically it's a rubber toothbrush, soft on the gums and little teeth and has a round disk near the head of it to prevent him from putting it too far into his mouth. We brush before bed every night. First I just brush his teeth quickly, then he chews on it for a while. Trying to instill that brushing teeth is part of bed time routine. Good luck :)

Victoria - posted on 06/17/2010

i started as soon as the tip of my boys first tooth appeared. it is essential to clean babies teeth as they're the only ones they'll have till around 5-7 years. i use a brush as it gets between teeth (he now has six). i smear a tiny bit of toothpaste on during morning brushing as the flouride protects teeth throughout the day, and the mint taste helps first timers let you brush them. soft brushing of the gums helps break through any teeth and keeps the clean and healthy from the start. and those that have said it teaches them good oral hygeine are right especially when they can understand better if you let them brush yours or theirs after you have done it. xx

Heather - posted on 06/16/2010

My aunt works in a pediatric dentist office as a hygenist and told me to just do it once a day (before bed, after her last nursing/bottle) by just using a washcloth to gently massage at her gums and teeth. She said you can start with a toothbrush when they have like 4-6 teeth, but should still make sure to do the gums.

Shaniqua - posted on 06/15/2010

i jus let my son chew on a baby tooth brush after he is done eating i got the idea from my mother it helps scrap off food an yet helps with teething the only time i use the infant tooth cleaner is in the morning jus like an adult

Cherry Mae - posted on 06/14/2010

my daughter bites my finger every time i clean her teeth. that's the reason i don't often clean it.. lol

Hannah - posted on 06/14/2010

i bath mine every other day, as it can cause irratated skin if they are done too much, especially with newborns. also prevents cradle cap (ive found) as they get older increase the baths. as for the teeth brushing, i started my son as soon as his first came through and doing it since, but as he still has teeth coming through its becoming difficult and he plays up hitting me screaming etc, so he only has it at night now. hes 2.
my daughters 10 months and has 6-7 teeth and i gotta be honest i havent really brushed them yet as im worried its going to hurt her like it hurts my son!

Rebecca - posted on 06/12/2010

My children all have baths every day

Renae - posted on 06/12/2010

Do your guys bathe your baby every night? I can't imagine that. My kids get baths twice a week (more if they need it). I'm not very good about brushing my baby's teeth, but I'm starting to be better. Once a day is all I'll be able to manage until he can do it for himself a little. Then I'll insist on twice a day.

Mel - posted on 06/11/2010

i brush my bubs 7 teeth (4 top, 3 bottom) the health nurse lady gave us a baby tooth brush and special tooth paste for little kids, i brush bubs teeth at night after shes had a bath and is about to go to bed

Stephanie - posted on 06/11/2010

I started as soon as her first tooth came in and it's the last thing I do before bed every night. She gets her last bottle, new diaper, change of clothes, book, and then I lay her down and go grab the little finger brush and she lays there with her mouth open waiting for me. I figure it's definately a good thing to instill in them at an early age. :)

Lisa - posted on 06/11/2010

I clean my little ones teeth at bath time, or when she is done eating, when I wash her up, I do her teeth first and then finsh washing her. I use either a was cloth or I have a very soft baby tooth brush that you slide on your finger and use that, I also wipe down her gums. She likes it, it helps when they are teething. I have done this with all four of my kids, the older 3 have never had any major problems with their teeth.

Rebecca - posted on 06/11/2010

I do Daeman's once a day

Rachael - posted on 06/10/2010

my son has 2 teeth and i could probably count the number of times we have done it. we just forget.

Tasha - posted on 06/10/2010

I brush her teeth (she has 2 on the bottom) one a day...I try to do it at night too but she falls asleep too fast for me to do it. I used to use a soft cloth but now I use a tooth scrubber and toothpaste for infants (its called Giggles and Grins by Gerber) and she loves it.

Itsa - posted on 06/10/2010

Twice a day is recommended, and after fruit or juice (ESPECIALLY after juice.... I don't even give my son juice because it is almost pure sugar). At this age, a soft cloth (desginated solely for teeth cleaning) is good, wash once a week. I do it first thing in the morning, after each nap and before bed. I hang the cloth above the changing station (high up so no accidental drippage!) and do it before I change him.

Sarah - posted on 06/09/2010

Teeth cleaning is really important, ideally twice per day but definitely a good clean at night, preferably after the last bottle. Since we make less saliva when asleep, the bacteria that cause all the bad things doesn't get washed away as easily and therefore the only way to get rid of it is to clean the teeth. You don't need to use toothpaste until one year old but it doesn't hurt to use a tiny amount of the kids stuff (less fluoride) from early on.



The baby teeth are really important in maintaining the spaces in the mouth for the adult teeth to come through as best as possible. I've seen first hand kids as young as one year old being put through 2-3 hour anaesthetics and having caps and crowns put on their teeth because they weren't cleaned.

Tracy - posted on 06/09/2010

at least once per day is recommended - just with a wet wash cloth or the finger scrubbers - I know people say they are baby teeth and it's not as important as permanent teeth, but I guess I didn't want my child to grow up with that attitude, i thought it was better to instill good hygiene at a younger age, maybe they will just make it part of their routine then?? we'll see - I've seen a mess of kids though as early as 3 or 4 with cavities and needing teeth filled and they dentist has to knock them out in order to do the procedure, doesn't sound too good to a child or to me to have my child knocked out just to get a tooth filled when I could of prevented it