My baby started to develop her first teeth at around five months. It was at this time I started researching dental care for children. I learned a lot and I can proudly say that at 3 years old, she now (willingly) goes to the dentist, brushes her teeth twice a day, and also enjoys trying to floss (!).
Some days are easier than others of course. But I would love to share with you what I did to help my baby care for her teeth.
Some have asked, “Why take babies to the dentist? They’re going to lose their baby teeth anyway.”
First of all, do you want to deal with a crying baby with a tooth ache from a cavity?
Also, please remember that you are teaching them lifelong dental hygiene habits. The sooner you start developing routines, the easier things start to become.
Tips on Dental Hygiene (For Kids)
- Watch children’s Youtube videos that demonstrate dental hygiene. Once they see their favorite cartoon characters singing songs about brushing their teeth, they will want to as well.
- Talk about the concept of the dentist with them openly and in a positive light. Try to be excited about the dentist. Express how it’s so nice sit in the dentist chair. Talk about how good it feels to have clean teeth.
- Demonstrate good dental hygiene habits. Let them see you in the dentist chair. Let them see you brushing and flossing your teeth daily. And hopefully doing all this with a (healthy) smile on your face!
- Find songs that talk about going to the dentist and sing it with them.
- Read children’s books where the characters visit the dentist and practice good dental hygiene.
- Buy fun children’s toothbrushes with cartoon characters. Use children’s toothpaste with fluoride.
- Limit sugary foods to prevent tooth decay. I not only go through great lengths to limit sugar in my child’s diet. I also try to make sure she eats calcium rich foods that help to strengthen bones (which include teeth).
How to Get your Child to Go to the Dentist (Willingly)
I discovered through research that you should actually start to take your child to the dentist within the first year of their life (when they develop their first teeth). .
The first time I took my baby to the dentist, she cried.
When she sat in “The Chair” she would not stop crying. She refused to open her mouth.
Bear in mind that the purpose of these first few trips are to familiarize her with the dentist office and sitting in ‘The Chair”. Hopefully, the dentist you choose will be very kind and gentle.
I purposely found a family dentist that took both kids and adults.
It was important to me that my baby see me sit in “The Chair”. She got a chance to witness me being happy and at ease while the dentist examined and cleaned my teeth.
Before we went, I explained to her what will be happening and I showed her I was not afraid. It was exciting to get my teeth cleaned!
The last time we went, I noticed her fears disappeared when she saw me go first.
She was able to sit in “The Chair” and did say “Aaah” for the dentist.
And I was so proud of her (and myself). We took an extra special “reward” trip to the mall after that!
How to Get Your Child to Brush Their Teeth
I found several Youtube videos of her cartoon characters brushing their teeth. If you google it, you will find many different “toothbrush songs“.
The Youtube character “Blippi” is one of her favorites and he has a song that he performs about brushing teeth. The neat thing about that song is that it is two minutes long. Two minutes is the recommended amount of time to brush your teeth.
I would play (and still play) this song for my baby morning and night. It’s become part of her daily dental routine.
At first, she was really resistant to having a toothbrush in her mouth at all.
Because of her refusal to use a normal toothbrush, I found this “full mouth brush” for kids on Amazon. The way it works is the whole contraption fits into the mouth (see picture). The handle moves left and right to brush the whole mouth at once.
This actually helped my baby get used to tooth brushing. Now she is able to brush twice a day using a regular toothbrush!
Children’s Fun Brushes and Toothpaste with Fluoride
The trick is to make toothbrushing a fun and positive experience. I bought fun looking toothbrushes.
My daughter has had a bunny shaped toothbrush, a Hello Kitty toothbrush, a light up tooth brush and a pink Dora the Explorer toothbrush. It’s important to replace the toothbrush once the bristles indicates the need (or every 2- 3 months or so).
Also, I make sure she uses a children’s toothpaste with fluoride. The dentist told me that the toothpaste needs fluoride to be effective. Because of this, it is important that you use fluoride when the child is of an age that they won’t swallow the toothpaste.
Be sure to just use a pea size amount and to rinse the mouth out when you are done to prevent swallowing.
How to Get Your Child to Floss
Flossing has become a fun activity for my daughter. When she sees me flossing, it makes her take an interest. I think she likes trying to copy me when she flosses. It’s become a “fun” activity we do together.
She has yet to get the hang of it by herself though. And that’s normal. It’s just another part of dental hygiene that she will make a part of her daily routine.
It’s not always a “piece of cake”. Some days she resists a little. But I know the more I work to make it a routine, the more it will just be an everyday (twice a day) health habit and routine for her.
As always, Remember 2 Savor these moments. One day your kid will be independently brushing and flossing. (And actually leaving you alone and at peace while on the throne).
