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General health

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Original poster

brushing a baby's teeth?

30 replies

Nickinha · 20/08/2004 13:11

My dd is 16mths, has 3 bottom, 3 top and two top back teeth coming out. When do I start brushing her teeth, and how? What toothpaste do I use?

OP posts:

StickyNote · 20/08/2004 13:15

Now! Use a specific toothpaste for children (adult ones are too strong). Brush as much as she'll let you.

pesme · 20/08/2004 13:16

Start right now. I was told to use normal toothpaste but not whitening. Use a baby toothbrush. Its not an easy business. My 7 month old has 6 teeth and its abit haphazard to say the least. Just do what you can.

Original poster

Nickinha · 20/08/2004 13:16

Thanks sticky - do i buy her a small toothbrush?

OP posts:

pesme · 20/08/2004 13:17

Oh and don't rinse, its important the floride stays on.

Original poster

Nickinha · 20/08/2004 13:17

I have a feeling that this is going to be a nightmare!!! lol

OP posts:

Original poster

Nickinha · 20/08/2004 13:18

Dont rinse? I suppose i must just use a little bit of toothpaste then? Do i do it in the am and pm like us adults?

OP posts:

pesme · 20/08/2004 13:20

Just a smear. Morning & evening should be fine.

hercules · 20/08/2004 13:33

You can get special toothpaste for children. You need to start now!

Original poster

Nickinha · 20/08/2004 13:35

Right then - as soon as i get home, she gets a brush... going to be a battle cause i just dont see her holding her head still for this one! Wish me luck! Thanks for all your help ppl.

OP posts:

Waswondering · 20/08/2004 13:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Nickinha · 20/08/2004 13:49

LOL @ waswondering - thats a good idea, i bet if she could chew on the brush it would work better. I suppose now i have to try all the tricks in the book and see which one works for dd.

OP posts:

Blackduck · 20/08/2004 13:53

Also try letting her have the brush and then brush your own teeth with your brush and may be she'll copy - ds does (sometimes!! - SOmetimes he just wants both brushes!)

muddaofsuburbia · 20/08/2004 13:57

Here's what we do:

Toothbrush - all the big brands (Colgate etc) do their own /baby/toddler toothbrushes. It will say on the pack what age they are for. We use either Colgate or Oral B - I've found the supermarket brands are too hard on little gums.

Toothpaste: Some are mild mint, some are like juicy fruit chewing gum.
Tiny pea sized amount.

Sit your dd on your knee with a bib (mega pasty dribbles). Gently hold down her arms with one of your arms and brush her teeth with the other. once you think you've given her a good clean, let her "brush". She'll chew it, but will soon get the idea.

Ideally sit her on your partner's knee and brush her teeth from there.

We give ds a real thorough toothbrushing of several minutes at bedtime, but in the morning I give him his loaded brush and he just brushes along with me (he's 23 mths).

And do it now!!!

Not a nightmare - just one more thing to do on top of a million other things!

Spod · 20/08/2004 14:05

blimey... dd has been brushing hre teeth since 6 months when first teeth came through... am i not supposed to start that early.... she loves it!

hercules · 20/08/2004 14:06

You are meant to start then spod. Once they have teeth they can have decay. That's what my dentist said anyway.

edam · 20/08/2004 14:10

The dental health adviser at my Sure Start group told us baby toothpastes don't contain the optimum amount of fluoride. And most adult toothpastes contain too much. She gave away tubes of Ultrabrite, which contains 1,000 parts per million - the correct dose, she said.

Ds was just six months when he got his first two teeth. Wasn't terribly keen on the brush, but I brushed my teeth to show him what to do, and sang a silly song and he really got into it. Now I struggle to get it off him... I try to brush his teeth and then let him chew the brush. Not easy but I reckon some brushing and correct dose of fluoride must be as good as you can get.
HTH

Spod · 20/08/2004 14:14

phew.... I have trouble getting the brush off her too... she thinks its great fun! (she has a good chew on all the toothbrushes whilst she's there)

poppyseed · 20/08/2004 14:16

DS is 16 months too with 8 incisors and 2 molars on the way...you're going to have fun!! We have the benefit of using DD as a role model but in the beginning when he had just a couple of teeth I'm afraid I resorted to the pin down and do it quickly method. After a week or so he realised that it was going to happen whatever he did and so now he's great. I hold him on my left hip and give him a spare tooth brush. In the mirror I then use the first stage toothbrush loaded up with a minty milk tooth toothpaste and brush as much as I can. (Our Dentist sells egg timers for a 2 minute brush time that is good for DD but a little inappropriate for DS at present!). It helps if DD is about to do hers at the same time but if not he likes to try to clean mine with his spare one!! Hope this makes sense....? I am a bit neurotic about keeping their teeth clean and think a bit of crying at first is much better than a mouthful of decay in years to come. Harsh mummy!!

moomina · 20/08/2004 14:38

Ds loves brushing his teeth - we do it in the bath in the evening and he copies mummy or grandpa in the morning! It's a struggle to get the brush off him - he will grab it out of my hand of I try to do it and give it a good chew! We use that milk teeth toothpaste - just a smear.

He also thinks my electric toothbrush is the best thing since sliced bread...and sometimes I let him have a little go...!

ebbie22 · 20/08/2004 14:42

I clean my dd [20 month] teeth with normal toothpaste and she holds her toothbrush while i use an electric one for a min,then we just let her do mine/daddys and hers...She loves it..only trouble is whenever we are upstairs she has to have her toothbrush...

StickyNote · 20/08/2004 14:47

I was told by my dentist not to use adult toothpaste for kids until they could "rinse and spit" - apparently there is too much fluoride in it and if too much is swallowed, it can make the adult teeth come through mottled.

Anyone else heard this?

ebbie22 · 20/08/2004 15:04

I think it depends where you live as my dentist told us that there isnt much if any floride in the water where we live,
only small amount of toothpaste so shouldnt do that much harm...
but have heard of it b4

Original poster

Nickinha · 20/08/2004 15:07

I have seen something which resembles a thimble, just longer and has tiny little bristles on them. the object is to put it on your finger and then brush their teeth with your finger. Anyone else seen this? I saw it in South Africa but have not seen it here in Portugal yet. Has any one tried this?

OP posts:

ebbie22 · 20/08/2004 15:10

is it clear?

muddaofsuburbia · 20/08/2004 15:14

Nickinha - Bickiepegs do them in a twin pack - click on "clean teeth'.

When I found this I also noticed they sell a "superbrush" which looks promising - anyone used it before?

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