TL;DR
Wipe a baby’s gums after feedings, then brush twice a day once the first tooth appears, using a rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste until age three and a pea-sized amount after that. Help with brushing until your child can do it thoroughly alone, usually around age seven or eight, and start flossing once two teeth touch. Limit juice and sweet snacks between meals, and never put a child to bed with a bottle of milk or juice. Stone Falls Dental in O’Fallon checks how home care is working at every visit and shows you what to change.
How do you care for a baby’s gums and first teeth?
Start before the first tooth arrives by wiping your baby’s gums with a clean, damp washcloth or gauze after feedings. It clears away milk, gets your baby used to having a mouth cleaned and makes the switch to a toothbrush easier.
Once the first tooth breaks through, usually around six months, brush it twice a day with a soft, infant-sized toothbrush. Bedtime brushing matters most, because saliva flow drops during sleep and leaves teeth less protected overnight.
Teething can make gums sore and fussy for a few days at a time. A chilled teething ring or a clean finger rubbed gently on the gums helps. Avoid numbing gels for infants, which the FDA advises against for children under two.
How much toothpaste should a child use?
Children under three should use a smear of fluoride toothpaste about the size of a grain of rice, and children three to six a pea-sized amount. Those are the American Dental Association’s guidelines, and they balance cavity protection against the small amount a young child swallows.
Teach your child to spit out the extra rather than rinse with lots of water, which washes away the fluoride left on the teeth. If you’re unsure whether your child is getting the right amount of fluoride from water and toothpaste, ask at the next visit; our page on fluoride treatment explains what we add in the office.
How do you help a child brush and floss well?
Brush for your child until about age six, then stay involved and check their work until they can clean every surface on their own, often around seven or eight. A good test is whether they can tie their shoes neatly. Until then, let them have a turn first and finish the job yourself.
- Brush twice a day for two minutes, with one session right before bed.
- Stand or sit behind your child, tilting their head back against you so you can see.
- Angle the bristles toward the gumline and use small, gentle circles.
- Don’t forget the inside surfaces and the chewing surfaces of the back teeth.
- Start flossing once two teeth touch; floss picks make it easier with little ones.
- Replace the toothbrush every three months or when the bristles splay.
Which drinks and foods are hardest on children’s teeth?
The hardest things on children’s teeth are sugary or acidic drinks sipped over long stretches. Every sip feeds the bacteria that make acid, and each acid attack lasts a while. A child who carries around a cup of juice gets one long attack after another.
Juice, soda, sports drinks, sweet tea and flavored milk are the usual culprits, along with sticky snacks like gummies, dried fruit and crackers that cling to the grooves of the back teeth. Offer them with meals rather than between, when there’s more saliva to wash them away.
Water and plain milk are the best everyday drinks. Cheese, vegetables, fruit and nuts make good snacks for children old enough to eat them safely.
Which habits can affect a child’s teeth as they grow?
Bedtime bottles, long-term thumb sucking and pacifier use past the toddler years can all affect a child’s teeth. A bottle of milk, formula or juice at bedtime bathes the teeth in sugar all night and is a leading cause of early, severe decay in the front teeth. If your child needs a bottle to fall asleep, fill it with water.
Most children stop sucking a thumb or pacifier on their own by age three or four. If the habit continues as the permanent front teeth come in, it can push them forward and affect the bite, which is something we watch at each child’s checkup.
Once the adult molars arrive, sealants add a layer of protection to the deep grooves that brushing can miss.