Around six months of age, the time comes: the first little teeth gradually begin to appear 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 need attention from the very first tooth. In this article, you'll learn how to start brushing your baby's teeth, what changes in dental care as they grow older, and what else you should keep in mind when it comes to 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’s also important to start early so regular dental care becomes a habit for young children. Even before the first tooth is visible, you can begin regularly cleaning your baby's chewing surfaces and tongue with a washcloth or cotton swabs rinsed with water. This not only removes bacteria in the mouth, but also helps your child get used to the feeling of a foreign object in their mouth.

Especially when you notice that your little explorer is teething , cleaning the gum ridge can be useful, including a gentle massage . Many children enjoy the feeling of light pressure on the gums during teething pain. A teething ring or a special toothbrush with bumps for chewing can also help ease teething discomfort while playfully familiarizing your baby 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 you brush your 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 your index finger, and its small bumps are especially suitable for cleaning the first teeth and the surrounding gum line. 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 has the advantage that your child can soon start practicing brushing their teeth. You should replace the toothbrush at the latest every two months.

Regardless of whether you choose a finger toothbrush or a children's toothbrush, at first it’s enough to clean your little explorer's teeth only with water in the morning . In the evening , you can then use a pea-sized dab of neutral-tasting baby toothpaste . While many children are more willing to brush their teeth with fruit-flavored toothpaste, the sweet taste can also encourage them to swallow the toothpaste.

Baby teeth are best cleaned in a relaxed atmosphere on the changing table ; later, your child can sit on your lap during daily dental care. Even if it doesn’t go well sometimes and not every little tooth is brushed for the recommended ten seconds , there’s no 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 the 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 they can hold the toothbrush in their hand, bring it to their mouth, and start brushing more independently. However, this takes practice, so you should support your child during their brushing attempts—and you should always finish brushing for them. A check 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 these early brush acrobatics are more about practice than thorough cleaning, from the age of three your child can start using the so-called KAI Technique :

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

• A : Next, the outer surfaces are cleaned.

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

Dentists generally recommend this brushing technique because it’s easy to remember, even for young children, and simple to apply with a bit of practice.

When is toothpaste suitable for babies?

You can start around your child’s second birthday. Use baby toothpaste twice daily for oral care . Once the primary teeth are fully developed at around three years old, the daily use of dental floss is 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—and that includes brushing teeth. Let your little explorer watch your own dental care as often as possible. This way, they’ll see that brushing teeth is completely normal and will get used to the routine.

• Provide distraction: Brushing teeth isn’t always as stress-free and straightforward as you’d like. Tell your toddler an exciting story or sing a song that includes teeth brushing. This not only distracts them, but can also quickly turn 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 own little teeth cared for.

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

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 makes sense 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 your thorough dental hygiene is simply praised and a few brushing tips are shared 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 sucking: If your child is receiving infant formula or other drinks from a sippy cup, you should avoid prolonged sucking. Even if your little explorer drinks water from a bottle, it can increase the risk of cavities. Continuous sucking prevents saliva from adequately rinsing the teeth, and the minerals 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 solid foods early that they can chew. The abrasion created during chewing cleans your little explorer's teeth, and chewing can also help 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 brushing their teeth, you should try to avoid sugar in food and drinks. The bacteria in dental plaque primarily feed on sugar, which they convert into acid that attacks tooth enamel. Many foods specifically for young children that 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 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 helps rebuild the enamel and protects against cavities. Even if swallowing small amounts of fluoride does not harm your child, you should make sure the fluoride content does not exceed 0.5 milligrams per gram when choosing toothpaste, to avoid a possible overdose.

• Avoid transferring bacteria: Unfortunately, licking pacifiers, pacifiers , or spoons 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, whenever possible, rinse pacifiers and similar items with water.

The same applies to brushing 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!