Everything you need to know about brushing your little one's teeth

With the appearance of your baby's first teeth, it is very important and essential to include tooth brushing in your little one's routine, especially in the bedtime routine before putting him or her to bed at night. That is why we have spoken with Pediatric Dentist Dr. Francisca Cardemil to help you with this topic.

Practical tips for proper tooth brushing

What should you know about brushing your little one's teeth?

Tooth brushing should begin when your baby's first tooth appears , during the teething stage .

• From day one, use regular bristle brushes , not silicone ones, and a toothpaste that has between 1,000 ppm and 1,450 ppm of fluoride . The amount of toothpaste you use should be very small and no larger than a grain of rice, especially if your child is still very young.

• Teeth should be brushed at least twice a day .

Keep in mind that the most important brushing of the day is at night before going to sleep and after dinner, milk and medications.

How to brush your teeth correctly ?

For a good tooth brushing, you should always lift your little one's lip and separate his cheeks. This way you can see and brush the entire tooth.

• Your baby's head should always be supported . To do this, you can position yourself behind him so that your body can support him, or use a cushion, armchair or highchair to support him.

• You should not wet the brush or rinse your child's mouth ; just spit out the toothpaste when he or she is able to do so.

• There is no perfect technique, but try to angle the brush towards the gum to clean as best as possible.

What happens if my child drinks milk to fall asleep?

Falling asleep while drinking milk (not breast milk) significantly increases the risk of cavities , because the milk stays in the mouth all night.

• Start giving your baby milk at night somewhere other than his crib or bed so that he stops associating milk with sleeping and understands that you will brush his teeth afterwards.

• If you feel it is appropriate, you can also dilute the milk, always little by little . For example, you can remove one measure of milk weekly.

• As long as your child continues to drink from a bottle at bedtime and at night, try to reinforce cavity prevention measures , such as avoiding sugar during the day, being very responsible with tooth brushing, always using toothpaste with fluoride, and visiting the pediatric dentist for help.

We know very well that brushing teeth after this milk is not always easy, but if you do it every day and at the same time, little by little your little one will understand that it is part of the routine just like eating, bathing, putting on pajamas, etc.

Don't stop brushing your baby's teeth, even if he complains or doesn't like it. Little by little, he'll start to understand that brushing is NOT skipped and that you're doing it for his health and out of love!

Special thanks to Dr. Francisca Cardemil for talking with us and helping us learn more about dental hygiene.