Oral hygiene is important from an early age. At what age should you start brushing your baby’s teeth? How to brush his first teeth, and with what material? Maëva Blanchard, pharmacy technician, gives us her advice.
Adopting good oral hygiene is essential for good dental health. By establishing the right ritual from an early age, your child will know the appropriate gestures that will protect his little teeth. And since it will be part of his daily routine, it will be easier for him to stick to it as he grows up. Thus, it is necessary start brushing your baby’s teeth at a very young age. To find out all about brushing baby’s teeth, Maëva Blanchard, pharmacy technician behind the Instagram account @pharmaconseils and author of Pharmacounsels for my baby (Larousse editions), answers our questions.
Should you brush your baby’s gums if the teeth haven’t come out yet?
Before the appearance of the first tooth, the passage of the brush is not obligatory. “But you can wash your gums with a diaper clean and damp that we pass once a day”, says our expert. In addition, the teeth can take time to all come out, it is not necessary to brush the gums, because it does not change the health of future teeth, and we can just wash those that have come out, says the specialist.
At what age should you start working baby teeth?
As recommended by health authorities, Maëva Blanchard indicates that you should brush your teeth “from the appearance of the first milk tooth“. This usually pushes between 4 and 7 months. Be careful, you should not wait until it has completely appeared, our expert explaining that you have to start “as soon as she starts to break through”.
“It is advisable to brush baby’s teeth as soon as the first milk tooth appears, as soon as it begins to break through”.
Which toothbrush for a baby?
Choosing the right baby toothbrush is important. “We take a toothbrush with the smallest head possible, and the bristles must be flexible. There are also electric toothbrushes that are baby-friendly, provide gentle brushing and don’t make a lot of noise.”, which is therefore not likely to scare toddlers, explains Maëva Blanchard. As for adults and older children, we do not forget to change it regularly, and especially after being sick (cold, flu, gastro…)!
How to choose a baby toothpaste?
The other essential element for effective toothbrushing is toothpaste. This must absolutely be fluoride, indicates the pharmacy preparer. “Normally, he must respect the dose of 1000 ppm of fluorine” for children under 3 years old.
How to brush a baby’s teeth?
Before starting to brush your teeth, Maëva Blanchard tells us the right dose of toothpaste to put on the brush. “Before 2 years, it is recommended to put a simple trace of toothpaste in the width of the brush”, she explains. Then we proceed gently. If the baby is scared or uncomfortable, we can reassure him, sing him nursery rhymes, etc.
How often do you brush your baby’s teeth?
“Before 2 years old, brushing your teeth once a day is enough. It is best to do it before bedtime”.
“Before 2 years old, brushing your teeth once a day is enough. It is best to do this before bedtime”. For children who no longer suckle at night, the ideal is to brush their teeth after the last food intake to prevent the proliferation of bacteria during sleep.