Tips for dental care in babies and toddlers

Around six months of age, the time comes: the first little teeth begin to appear gradually in your baby's mouth. By the age of three, their primary dentition with 20 teeth is usually fully developed. However, your baby's teeth already require attention from the first tooth. In this article, you'll learn how to best start brushing your baby's teeth, what changes in dental care as they grow older, and what else you should pay attention to regarding oral hygiene.

Teething care for babies

The primary teeth are softer and their enamel is thinner than that of permanent teeth, so they require special care from the very beginning. It is also important to start early to make regular dental care a habit for young children. Even before the first tooth is visible, you can start regularly cleaning your baby's chewing surfaces and tongue with a washcloth or a Cotton swabs rinsing. This not only removes bacteria in the mouth but also helps your child get used to the feeling of a foreign object in the mouth.

Especially when you notice that your little explorer to teething begins, the cleaning of the tooth strip can be including a light massage be useful. Many children enjoy the feeling of gentle pressure on the gums during teething pain. Also a Teething ring or a special toothbrush with bumps for chewing can help your baby with teething discomfort and at the same time familiarize them playfully with the feeling of a toothbrush in their mouth. You can learn which signs indicate that your baby is teething and how to provide relief in the article " Teething – when the first little teeth come in ".

How do I brush my baby's teeth?

Once the first milk tooth has made its way through the gums, you should switch to cleaning with a small children's toothbrush or a finger toothbrush. A Finger Toothbrush can easily be slipped over the index finger, and its small bumps are especially suitable for cleaning the first brackets and surrounding dental arches. A Children's toothbrush is characterized by its short, very soft bristles and a non-slip handle. This makes the pressure easier to control than with a large toothbrush, and it offers the advantage that your child can start practicing brushing their teeth soon. You should replace the toothbrush at the latest every two months.

Regardless of whether you choose a finger toothbrush or a children's toothbrush, it is initially enough to clean your little explorer's teeth only with water in the morning to clean. Evenings can you then a pea-sized dab of neutral-tasting Baby Toothpaste use. While many children are more willing to brush their teeth with fruit-flavored toothpaste, the sweet taste also encourages swallowing the toothpaste.

Baby teeth are best examined in a relaxed atmosphere on the Changing table cleaning, later your child can sit on your lap during daily dental care. Even if it doesn't go so well sometimes and not every little tooth is brushed as recommended ten seconds brushed, is not a reason for concern: Especially at the beginning, it's not only about cleaning the little teeth, but also about teaching your baby from the start that brushing teeth is a natural part of daily routine.

Dental care from the second year of life

By around one and a half years old, your little explorer's motor development is advanced enough that he can hold the toothbrush in his hand, bring it to his mouth, and start brushing his teeth more independently. However, this requires some practice, so you should naturally support your child during his brushing attempts, but in any case, you should also finish brushing for him. The inspection after brushing is recommended until elementary school age, because only then are children physically capable of keeping their teeth completely clean on their own.

While the brush acrobatics initially serve more as practice than actual teeth cleaning, your child can start practicing from the age of three using the so-called KAI Technique to clean:

• K : First, your little explorer cleans – with your support – the Contact surfaces with short forward and backward movements.

• A : The Exterior surfaces are cleaned second when brushing teeth.

• I : Finally, you can the Inner surfaces clean with vertical brushing motions.

Dentists generally recommend this brushing technique because it is memorable even for young children and easy to apply with some practice.

When is toothpaste suitable for babies?

You can start around your second birthday with this. baby toothpaste twice daily to Oral Care to use your child. Once the primary teeth are fully developed at around three years old, the daily application of Dental Floss recommended to clean the increasingly narrow gaps between the teeth. When using it, you should help your child; your dentist can show you the correct technique.

Tips for stress-free brushing of your teeth

• Role model: Your child learns best through imitation. This also applies to brushing teeth. Let your little explorer watch your own dental care as often as possible. This way, they will realize that brushing teeth is something completely normal and will get used to the routine.

• Provide distraction: Brushing your teeth isn't always as stress-free and straightforward as you'd like it to be. Tell your toddler an exciting story or sing a song to them that includes teeth brushing. This not only distracts them but also quickly turns daily dental care into a lovely shared ritual.

• Rollenwechsel: If your child resists having their teeth brushed by you, simply switch roles: brushing Mom or Dad's teeth is a lot of fun, and afterwards, your little explorer will surely be more willing to have their little teeth taken care of.

• The right equipment: Let your child choose a particularly nice toothbrush themselves and set a sand timer as a timekeeper that they are allowed to flip themselves. Bet you that brushing teeth with the right equipment is twice as much fun?

The first dentist visit

The first visit to the dentist is recommended between the 6th and 9th month of life, as soon as your baby's first teeth emerge. This is sensible because the dentist can give you practical tips on dental care for your little explorer from the very beginning. Another advantage is that your child will get to know the dentist early on and become familiar with the practice and the initially unfamiliar examination in a relaxed atmosphere.

Your check-up with the dentist should take place regularly; you can base it on the interval of the . During the , potential problems are detected early, but perhaps only thorough dental hygiene is praised and a few brushing tips are distributed for motivation. In principle, all dentists can treat children, so you can simply register your little explorer for your own appointment as well. However, there are also specialized pediatric dentists who are trained to handle children's possible fears. This can be especially helpful when dental issues require more extensive treatment.

Prevent cavities

• Avoid prolonged idling: If your child is receiving infant formula or other drinks from a sippy cup, you should pay attention to avoid prolonged sucking. Even if your little explorer drinks water from the bottle, it can already increase the risk of cavities. Continuous sucking prevents saliva from adequately rinsing the teeth, and the minerals contained in saliva, which constantly remineralize and harden the enamel, cannot take effect. Therefore, the interval between two feeding times should be at least two hours. However, when breastfeeding, you don't need to worry. Experts agree today that breast milk does not harm the teeth, as it does not contain cavity-promoting bacteria. Additionally, unlike drinking from a bottle, milk during breastfeeding only reaches the mouth behind the gum line, so the incisors are not constantly rinsed with milk.

• Start early with solid food: If your child shows interest in solid foods, you can calmly start giving it to him give solid foods early , on which it can chew. The abrasion created during chewing cleans your little explorer's teeth, and chewing also helps with teething pain. However, make sure it cannot be swallowed. Also, pay attention to longer intervals between meals so that the pH level in the mouth can rise again and bacteria do not multiply.

• Cutting out sugar: Especially when your child is still having difficulty with brushing their teeth, you should pay attention to avoiding sugar in food and drinks. The bacteria contained in dental plaque primarily feed on sugar, which they convert into acid that attacks the tooth enamel. Many foods specifically for young children, which may not initially seem to contain sugar (for example, juices, ready-made purees, or teas), also contain sugar.

• Fluoride for caries prevention: Since primary teeth have a thinner enamel than permanent teeth, dentists recommend additionally protecting them with fluoride. You can initially brush your little explorer's teeth once daily, then twice daily from the age of two, with a fluoride-containing toothpaste specifically for children. The fluoride in it rebuilds the enamel and thus protects against cavities. Even if swallowing small amounts of fluoride does not harm your child at all, you should pay attention to ensure that the fluoride content does not exceed 0.5 milligrams per gram when choosing the toothpaste, to avoid possible overdose.

• Avoid transferring bacteria: Unfortunately, licking pacifiers, pacifiers or spoon-feeding your baby to quickly clean them in between is not a good idea. This can easily transfer cavity-causing bacteria from your mouth to your baby's. Instead, always prefer to rinse pacifiers and similar items with water whenever possible.

The same applies to brushing your teeth: practice makes perfect! With lots of patience, praise, and a few tricks, you can help your little explorer become a real brushing pro in no time and teach them the importance of a daily dental care routine. And now, happy brushing! :)