Introduction
A good and timely dental care for the baby is very important to lay the foundation for caries-free milk teeth. Dental care for babies is often neglected, started too late or performed incorrectly. As soon as the first teeth break through, dental care should be started. Already at this age, children consume sugary food, which can lead to caries. Brushing their teeth can be made playful and after a short time, daily oral hygiene develops into a kind of ritual for the children.
When does dental care begin for babies?
Dental care for a baby should begin with the eruption of the first tooth. In most cases this is one of the lower front incisors. It usually breaks through around the sixth month of life.
However, this is only an average value. The eruption of the first tooth can also occur sooner or later. Thorough dental care starting with the eruption of the first tooth is very important. On the one hand, this prevents caries and on the other hand, the child gets used to regular dental hygiene from the beginning.
Which toothbrush should I use?
If the first tooth breaks through, one should carefully start cleaning the teeth. In the beginning it is enough to rub the area with special toothpaste for babies. There are, for example, special finger cots with nubs on them to clean the first teeth.
If you want to use a toothbrush, you should make sure that it is especially soft and has a small brush head designed for babies. The age of the different types of toothbrushes is usually indicated on their packaging. Brushing should be done twice a day with special toothpaste for babies.
This contains slightly less fluoride than the adult toothpaste. It is recommended to brush the teeth always from the gums to the crown for best results. For a small number of teeth in the mouth, a toothbrush with a small soft head and short bristles is suitable.
If the children have already got all their milk teeth at the age of 2 1⁄2, a toothbrush with a thick, handy handle and longer bristles is suitable. At this time, children usually start brushing their teeth on their own, but under the supervision of their parents. At the beginning of the teeth it is much better to use a small soft manual toothbrush or a special fingerling to clean the teeth that are breaking through.
The reason for this is to protect the gums. An electric toothbrush would irritate the baby’s gums too much. Once several teeth have broken through, the careful use of an electric toothbrush is possible.
Care should be taken to protect the gums. In general, plaque can be removed better with an electric toothbrush. It is recommended to switch to the use of an electric toothbrush at the age of three years. If the baby does not like having his or her teeth brushed, or if brushing with a manual toothbrush is difficult to do, it is possible to start using an electric toothbrush earlier.
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