When Is The Right Time To Introduce the First Toothbrush?

Dental hygiene is so important and instilling this in your child from a young age will set them up for the rest of their life. There are important steps that you must take as a parent to keep your child’s teeth and gums healthy which begin when your baby starts teething and continue past when your child starts brushing their own teeth. It is important to know what these steps are and when to take them. In this article, we will explain each of these steps to help make sure your child has a winning smile from day one.

Start Cleaning Your Child’s Teeth as Soon as They Emerge

Teeth need to be cleaned as soon as they are coming through the gums during the teething process. The first thing you need to know is the answer to the question, “when do babies start teething?” as this will tell you when you need to start cleaning your baby’s teeth. This usually occurs around the age of 8 to 9 months. It is really important to start cleaning your baby’s teeth at this time as they may still be breastfeeding and breast milk contains sugars that can actually decay baby’s teeth. For baby’s this age, you can use a soft muslin cloth to gently clean the surface of the teeth and wipe away any plaque build-ups. 

Progress to a Baby Toothbrush

As the teeth start to fully emerge between the ages of nine months and two and a half years, when your baby has around six to eight teeth on the bottom and top, you can start to use a special baby toothbrush. This is a small rubber brush that you can put on the tip of your finger to gently clean the teeth. A muslin cloth will be unable to go in between the teeth so using a rubber baby toothbrush is necessary to get rid of all the plaque in between.

Start Cleaning Your Child’s Teeth With a Regular Toothbrush

It is really important when you start brushing your child’s teeth with a real toothbrush that you learn how to do it properly. This may sound very simple but it is easy to make the mistake of thinking that you can brush your child’s teeth in exactly the same way as you brush yours. Children’s teeth and gums are far softer and more sensitive than adults and so you need to be much gentler when brushing your child’s teeth than when brushing your own. If you are too rough, not only could you hurt the child or damage their gums, but you will also create a psychological aversion to teeth brushing in your child’s mind. Brush your child’s front and back teeth very slowly and carefully so that your child is comfortable and can feel what you are doing.

Get Your Child Their Own Toothbrush

The next step in your child’s development is to get them their first toothbrush so they can start brushing their own teeth. Good dental hygiene is a very important thing throughout our lives so it is really important to instill this in children from a very young age. The things we learn as children become habits as we grow older so make sure to reinforce the importance of dental hygiene at every opportunity. Children are usually ready for their first toothbrush at the age of around two and a half years old. This is an ideal age as children have developed the necessary coordination skills for brushing teeth and will also be able to copy you as you show them the correct way to brush. 

Teach Your Child the Correct Way

When your child first starts brushing their own teeth, you should brush yours at the same time. This way you can check that your child is brushing correctly and for a long enough time. Carry on like this for at least the first couple of months to reinforce good dental hygiene habits. If you decide then to allow your child to brush their teeth unsupervised, periodically check that they are doing it right and that they are keeping up good habits. One thing that is very important to teach your child is not to swallow their toothpaste. 

It is really important to take the right steps to clean your child’s teeth as soon as they emerge and to teach your child the correct way once they are old enough to clean their teeth themselves. There are some really great kids’ toothbrushes with cool designs and popular children’s characters that will make your children excited about brushing their teeth. Follow the tips in this guide and you will be perfectly set to ensure great dental hygiene for your child.