As soon as they appear, teeth need strict maintenance to prevent cavities and gum disease. Even babies can suffer from bad breath if oralhygiene is not respected. From an early age, it’s essential to teach them to brush their teeth frequently, and to incorporate this routine into their personal development. How do you do it, when do you start learning, what are the right gestures and which accessories are best? We answer all your questions.
Brushing your teeth: at what age should you start?
Hygiene training for children needs to start at a very early age, so that good habits are easily ingrained. From birth, parents should frequently clean the inside of baby’ s mouth with a washcloth. Thanks to this routine, your baby will have no trouble adopting a toothbrush later on.
The appearance of the first teeth is the starting signal for brushing. Depending on the child, this process can begin between the sixth month and the first year of life. From then on, it’s time to clean teeth, because cavities don’t wait. Neglect on your part can lead to what dentists call “ baby bottle tooth decay ” .
How to recognize and avoid this disease? Baby bottle tooth decay is characterized by the appearance of yellow or black spots on the dental plaque. Initially, you’ll notice a change in the color of the teeth, which are no longer as white as they should be. At an advanced stage, corrosion causes holes in the enamel and dentine. Severe pain follows.
The most frequent cause is when your baby falls asleep with a bottle still full of sweetened drink in his mouth. As soon as you see your baby lying down, remove the bottle, or simply avoid giving it to him at naptime.
But be careful! While it is recommended to brush teeth between the ages of 6 months and 1 year, the use of toothbrushes remains prohibited for the time being. Because baby teeth are so fragile, professionals recommend using a damp compress instead. During cleaning, it is advisable to wash gently.
How often should babies and children brush their teeth?
For adults, brushing is essential after every meal. That’s three times a day. As babies ‘ teeth are still fragile, this frequency is not necessary. Before theage of two, cleaning every night is enough to prevent cavities.
As baby grows and new teeth appear, you can increase the number of times you brush. From the age of 2, you’ll need to wash twice: in the morning and in the evening. The evening routine is the most important, so make sure you don’t forget it. Start using a child’ s toothbrush for each cleaning.
As for brushing time, for children under 2, one minute is more than enough. Beyond that, from the age of 2 to over 6, your child should spend 2 minutes per session.
How do you introduce the toothbrush into your baby’s daily routine?
As soon as milk teeth appear, babies are not immune to the risk of cavities. That’s why it’s so important to adopt good oral hygiene from then on, and even before. To ensure a smooth transition from wet compress to toothbrush, get your child used to having the inside of his mouth cleaned once a day. In particular, this will prepare the gums for teething, which can be painful for little ones.
Once the routine is established, your little one will have no difficulty in adopting the toothbrush. To keep the habit going, try to make the process fun. Every evening, go into the bathroom together and wash your teeth as a family. When your little one sees that Mum and Dad are brushing too, he’ll naturally want to do it too. So you don’t have to force him.
If this technique doesn’t work for your little one, try educational cartoons or even<a href=”https://naitreetgrandir.com/fr/etape/1_3_ans/jeux/fiche.aspx?doc=ik-naitre-grandir-enfant-bienfait-comptine#:~:text=In addition to helping a,memory exercise in itself.