It's critical as parents that we take care of our little one's health which includes oral health.
Before we jump into the answers, there are a few critical points that every parent should know when it comes to taking care of their child's mouth.
Before even the baby's teeth start emerging, clean the baby's gums/ gum pas (as we dentists call them). This is essential because the mouth can have a lot of infection-causing bacteria. Also, you and your little one get into this routine of cleaning his/her mouth daily.
Wash your hand thoroughly with the help of a clean moist (not wet) gauze or cloth, wrap it around your index finger, and gently wipe the inside of your kid's mouth. Make sure you dispose of the gauze/ cloth and use a fresh one every time. You can also get special brushes available in the market for this purpose.
For maximum efficiency, when cleaning your child's gum make sure your baby is lying on its back facing you. Gently run around the moist gauze around the child's gums.
Now to answer the question, it is simple, as soon as you see the baby's teeth emerge through the gums. Introduce the idea of brushing to your child. This is usually between 6 months to 1 year depending upon when the first tooth emerges. Make sure you use only a soft, small toothbrush with the appropriate amount of fluoridated toothpaste.
Yes, Fluoride in the right quantity protects our teeth from cavities. Always check the fluoride ppm while buying toothpaste. The American Association of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), The European Association of Pediatric Dentistry (EAPD), and The International Association of Pediatric Dentistry (IAPD) suggest using toothpaste containing 1000ppm of Fluoride for all age groups but changing the quantity of the paste according to the age of the child. For a child aged 6 months- 3 years use a smear/ rice grain size of fluoridated toothpaste and for a child, 3-6 years use a small pea-sized toothpaste.
Brushing with fluoridated toothpaste twice a day is essential. It is advisable that parents brush their child's teeth even when the kid shows resistance. Try to make it interesting for the child by having a brushing song, or providing a reward system and reinforcing brushing. It is also critical that as a parent you supervise your kid's brushing till the child is at least 7 years old.
Key Takeaways:
Clean your baby's gums with a clean moist gauze/ cloth
Introduce brushing to your child as soon as tooth emerges from the gums
Always ensure your kid brushes his/ her teeth twice a day with a toothpaste containing 1000ppm of Fluoride Use an age-appropriate amount of paste rice/ smear size for below 3 years, small pea- size for 3- 6 years.
Supervise your child's brushing until his/ her 7th birthday.
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