Teeth brushing can be quite the fiasco in a household with kids! We all know it’s important for young children to learn good habits with brushing their teeth, but did you realise caring for baby teeth is just as important as caring for permanent, or adult, teeth? Vhi Chief Dental Officer, Dr Gina Kilfeather, explains what we should know about looking after our children’s ‘milk teeth’.

There’s no exact timeline for teething and loss of milk teeth, as each child will differ a little, but we do have definitive best practices for caring for baby teeth. First, let’s have a look at why it’s so important to protect them.

Why we need to protect baby teeth

Baby teeth start to ‘erupt’ at around 5-8 months old and most kids will have their first full set of teeth by the time they reach three-years-old. While these baby teeth will begin to fall out when your child is five or six, they should be well taken care of for many reasons, including:

• They enable your child to chew food safely and help them learn to speak.
• Baby teeth create space in your child’s gums for their permanent teeth.
• They also help set up the alignment of their future, permanent, teeth. If a child loses a baby tooth early, this can disrupt the space in their mouth and make it difficult for the adult tooth to develop correctly.
• Decayed baby teeth will need professional dental treatment. Decayed baby teeth can be painful and could lead to dental abscess, which causes more discomfort and swelling.
• It instils in our children, from a young age, how important it is to brush our teeth.

The good news is that decay in teeth is preventable. Good oral hygiene habits and a healthy diet, established early, significantly decrease the risk of dental decay. Let’s take a look what kind of dental care is needed for children as they grow up.

Dental care by age

From birth:

• Clean your baby’s mouth and gums by wiping them with a soft, damp cloth.

First tooth:

• Brush twice a day with a soft toothbrush and plain water.

12 months:

• Take your child for their first dental visit.

18 months:

• Add a pea-sized amount of low-fluoride (fluoride helps to prevent tooth decay) or children’s toothpaste to the brush. Be sure to encourage your child to spit out the toothpaste and not swallow it or rinse with water.

Four to five years:

• Start teaching your child how to brush their own teeth.

Six years:

• Switch to adult toothpaste and continue to encourage your child to spit it out when they’re finished brushing and not to rinse with water. This removes the fluoride that the toothpaste has provided. Start teaching your child how to floss their own teeth.

Nine years:

• At this age, your child can now start to brush and floss by themselves and will probably be very proud! Continue with their regular dental check-ups as usual.

Tips to encourage your child to brush their teeth

• Let your child choose their own toothbrush. This makes it all a bit more fun for them!
• Play games or include some toys in the process. Your child can ‘brush’ their doll or teddy’s teeth while brushing their own.
• Find or create songs you can sing with your child as they brush their teeth.
• Set a timer or buy a little hourglass timer made specifically for the recommended two-minute brushing time.

Dental appointments

• You can take your child for regular dental check-ups as soon as their first milk teeth appear, at around 6 to 12 months, depending on the child. Dental check-ups can be every three to 12 months, decided by the condition of your child’s teeth and gums. Just ask your dentist what they recommend in terms of check-ups, and they’ll guide you.

This content is for information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek advice from your GP or an appropriate medical professional if you have concerns about your health, or before commencing a new healthcare regime. If you believe that you are experiencing a medical emergency call 999 / 112 or seek emergency assistance immediately.