To enjoy life long dental health, one has to start young, and make sure that the habit of brushing twice daily is so ingrained that the child will stick to a lifetime of good dental hygiene.
The rule of thumb is that you should start to clean your baby’s mouth as soon as the first tooth appears; to begin with, a toothbrush and toothpaste is not required.
Using a washcloth to gently clean the gums is enough to start with. Later when more teeth appear a brush and paste may be required:
- The toothpaste should not be abrasive because these can abrade the tooth enamel in some cases. There are available Enamel saver toothpastes that can be used.
- It should not have a high level of fluoride, particularly for children who are too young to be able to spit out the toothpaste
- It should be a taste suitable for babies and children, adult toothpastes, tend to be ‘spicy’ for children and could put them off brushing
- The toothpaste should not contain the ingredient called SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) since this could cause children to develop canker sores.
So by making sure that your child has toothpaste that is both appropriate and is one that he or she likes, you can ensure that your child forms a lifelong attachment of proper dental hygiene.