How can I brush my baby's teeth properly?

How often do you brush your teeth? Many parents ask themselves this question. As a guideline, brush your teeth twice a day. Not only in adults, but also in your little one. It is also a good idea to brush your baby's teeth as often as you do yourself. This will make your child notice that you are doing that too and that it is nothing special, but simply part of everyday life.

In the beginning it is enough if you brush your little one's teeth with a baby toothbrush moistened with water. You can also use a small amount of baby toothpaste later. If you still have individual milk teeth, you should brush for around 10 seconds per tooth. Later, when all teeth have erupted, you can also stick to the 3 minute rule when brushing your baby's teeth.

The rule when brushing teeth for babies and children is KAI. This means that you first brush the chewing surfaces, then the outside and finally the inside of the teeth. You shouldn't forget to clean your tongue. This is where deposits collect, which can also lead to tooth decay. In addition, these deposits can affect the sense of taste.

You can simply use the toothbrush or a tongue scraper to clean your tongue. Some toothbrushes have lamellas or knobs on the back of the head. You can use it to clean your baby's tongue. For school children it is also advisable to use dental floss to prevent tooth decay in the interstices.

It is very important for babies to be entertained during their dental care. This ensures that they will not have any negative memories of dental care later and will therefore like to brush their teeth. Easy to imagine in theory. However, not so easy to implement in practice. Certain rituals are helpful. Like toothbrushing songs or poems that are always sung for dental care. If your little one is reluctant to resist, it is important that you react calmly to it. The more you let it stress you, the harder it will be to calm your little one down.

You can also actively involve your child. So, for example, let yourself decide which song you want to sing or which toothbrush should be used. You can also try dividing the brushing of children’s teeth into several short stages. For many children, they are more pleasant than brushing all their teeth completely once. If your little one cannot calm down at all for a long period of time, we recommend that you describe this situation to your pediatrician.