Toddler’s Teeth Cleaning and Care – How To Do It?

Helen
Updated: October 18, 2022

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Attention all you beautiful mums out there, your baby’s teeth need cleaning!
The health of the baby teeth directly affects the development of the permanent teeth.
Therefore, your baby’s dental care should start with the first milk tooth.
We will share methods and tips on how to clean your toddler’s teeth. You will enjoy!

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Why Should My Baby Have An Oral Cleaning?

Poor breastfeeding habits during infancy can lead to poor oral cleaning and, if not done regularly, can lead to cavities in the baby’s mouth.

When To Do Oral Cleaning?

Should oral care be carried out in infancy before the baby has teething?

Yes! Generally speaking, babies should have some basic oral care practices from the time they are first born.

How exactly should I give my baby oral care? Here is our oral care plan for babies depending on whether they are teething or not.

Oral care for non-teething babies

Generally speaking, babies at this stage are mainly fed with breast milk or formula milk. At this time, parents can use gauze dipped in warm boiled water and wrapped around the index finger to gently rub the gums, mouth and tongue to clean the mucous membrane of the alveoli and the inner mucous membrane of the cheeks of the mouth.

Oral care for teething babies

When your baby’s first milk teeth come in, you can start preparing your baby’s toothbrush for brushing twice a day, morning and evening. Brushing is difficult at first and your baby may be extremely uncooperative, but don’t let this put you off, be patient and guide them. Keep at it and your baby will get healthy teeth.

How To Do Oral Cleaning?

The right toothbrush

The size of the brush head should be suitable for your child’s mouth. Too small a brush head is inefficient, while too large a brush head may not allow the toothbrush to move flexibly in the mouth, thus not cleaning the mouth better.
The bristles should be soft and firm. Bristles that are too soft are less effective, while bristles that are too hard will hurt your baby’s gums.
The shape of the brush head. Do not choose an oddly shaped brush head, a normal shaped toothbrush is sufficient.
The thickness of the handle. The thickness of the handle of your baby’s toothbrush is determined by how easily your baby’s small hands can grasp it. If your baby cannot brush on their own and needs adult help, the handle should not be too short or too thin, but should be easy for the adult to hold.
The length of the bristles. The baby’s mouth is small, so everything should be based on the baby’s mouth. Generally speaking, the length of the bristles should be about two thirds of that of an adult toothbrush.
The shape of the toothbrush. When buying a toothbrush, parents can pick some cute cartoon shaped handles according to their child’s preferences. This will attract the child’s attention and increase the child’s pleasure in brushing and taking the initiative to brush their teeth.

Suitable toothpaste

It is recommended to use children’s toothpaste with fluoride. Fluoride protects the teeth and prevents tooth decay. If your child is too young to rinse his or her mouth skillfully, choose a swallowable fluoride toothpaste for children.
Use a toothpaste the size of a grain of rice. The amount of toothpaste used is also crucial to good teeth. The right amount of toothpaste will provide a good cleaning effect and will also prevent your baby from swallowing large amounts of toothpaste.

Proper brushing techniques

Babies who have just started teething can brush their teeth with the help of their parents.
When babies can brush their own teeth, first give them the correct brushing posture and then assist them in brushing their teeth. When they become proficient, parents can let the child do it independently. (But it is also important to brush your child’s teeth regularly so that they don’t brush poorly.)
Brush using the circle method to ensure that each tooth is taken into account. Stay with your baby and brush with them, showing them how to do it.
Do not brush for too short a time. It is best to limit brushing time to 2-3 minutes to ensure that each tooth is cleaned properly.

In addition to this, a healthy diet and good habits are also important.

During the teething stage, pay attention to the intake of calcium, magnesium, vitamin A and other nutrients. Also pay attention to a balanced diet of meat and vegetables, and teach your baby not to be a picky eater.

Eat less sweets and reduce sugar intake. Not only children, but also adults are fond of cakes and sweets. Parents can control the frequency of desserts for their babies and tell them to brush their teeth promptly after eating sweets.

It is necessary to get into the good habit of rinsing their mouths promptly after eating. Brush your teeth at night before going to bed. But, don’t eat afterwards!

When babies are young, they do not have much self-control yet and keeping their mouth clean is not easy. In addition to daily cleaning, you should have regular oral check-ups and have your teeth cleaned according to the state of oral cleanliness. If there are any blackened teeth, address them promptly.

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