When Your Child Should Start Brushing & Flossing

Getting your child started on a lifetime of excellent oral health may seem like a daunting challenge, but maintaining their teeth and gums is easier than you think. Unfortunately, however, many parents simply don’t know when or where to begin taking care of their baby’s smile, putting them at greater risk for inflammation and an increase in dangerous bacteria that could cause oral health problems later in life.

Get your child’s teeth and gums off to a great start. Here’s when and how you should begin caring for their smile to ensure excellent oral health from birth and beyond!

Brushing & Flossing: When to Begin

Though occasionally it does happen, most of the time babies are not born with any teeth. Still, despite the fact that they have nothing to brush or floss yet, it’s never too soon to start them on a good oral hygiene routine. Experts recommend that even if your child has no visible teeth, you should begin wiping down their mouths with a clean, damp cloth after each meal to get them in the habit of caring for their future teeth, and for keeping their gums clean and healthy.

First Teeth & Beyond

Once your child’s first tooth erupts, or around their first birthday, it’s time for their first visit to the dentist. While they may not require a cleaning just yet, they should begin receiving bi-annual oral health exams. This will not only help ensure that their teeth are growing on schedule, but it can also help get them comfortable with being examined by the dentist from an early age.

The debut of the first tooth also means it’s time to get brushing! Use a child-sized, soft-bristled toothbrush and a children’s fluoride toothpaste and clean any visible teeth twice a day. Once your child has more than one consecutive tooth, you should also begin flossing between them once each day, even if there are gaps.

Teaching Your Child to Brush & Floss

Once your child is old enough to hold the brush themselves, you should begin letting them. Be sure to supervise their oral hygiene routine until you are confident that they can rinse and spit without assistance. This typically occurs at around age six. To make brushing fun and help remind your child about proper technique, try doing it together. This way, they will see how you do it, and you can supervise them at the same time. Then, once they get a bit older and want to be more independent, you’ll already be confident they can handle it.

Remember, it’s important to start caring for your child’s oral health at birth to ensure a lifetime of beautiful smiles, even if they don’t have any teeth yet. If your baby’s first tooth has erupted or they are around one year old, it’s time to schedule their first dental appointment. Until then, starting them on a path of great hygiene will help keep their teeth and gums safe and healthy!

About Our Practice

At Happy Teeth Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, we want to help ensure that your child has a lifetime of excellent oral health. Starting their dental hygiene routine young will not only help teach them to care for their teeth on their own, but it will also ensure that they don’t develop dangerous problems later in life.

Don’t wait to get started on your baby’s vital oral health care. Schedule their first exam and cleaning with us by visiting our website or calling us today at 267-580-9657.