- Begin cleaning your baby's mouth during the first few days after birth by wiping the gums with a clean, moist gauze pad or washcloth. As soon as teeth appear, decay can occur.
- When your child's teeth begin to come in, brush them gently with a child-size toothbrush and water. A baby's front four teeth usually push through the gums at about 6 month of age, although some children don't have their first tooth until 12 or 14 months.
- For children older than 2, brush their teeth with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Be sure they spit out the toothpaste.
- Until you're comfortable that your child can brush on his or her own, continue to brush your child's teeth twice a day with a child-size toothbrush and pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. When your child has two teeth that touch, you should begin flossing their teeth daily.
Labels: Caring for Children's Teeth, Oral Health, Oral Health for Children, Parents Caring for Children's Teeth, Pediatric Dentistry of Suffolk County, Pediatric Dentistry of Suffolk County I and II