Father time: brushing baby teeth

Submitted by stefan on Thu, 26/06/2008 - 6:07pm

My favourite time of the day at the moment is just before I put my son Noah to bed and we go to the bathroom together to brush his teeth. It's just awesome - he knows exactly what's coming when I say "time to brush your teeth" and he's all smiles, puts his little finger in his mouth and mimics the brushing motion. Ahhhh ...

I didn't actually realise that you had to start brushing babies' teeth pretty early on. Noah has got 4 teeth at the moment and we started brushing his teeth when the upper ones were through. Amazingly he pretty much got it straight away and loved it after a few days. Now he gets very excited about brushing his teeth. Although it's mostly me who is doing the brushing he is already quite good with the general concept and tries to do it himself.

We usually use a tiny bit of special baby tooth paste. Annoyingly it says on the tube that infants are not supposed to swallow the paste ... well great, try to explain that to a 1 year old. But we checked with our GP and she said it's not dangerous, especially because you only need to use a tiny amount. Every now and then I use water only but I think he just loves the taste and sensation of having a bit of tooth paste in his mouth.

I think this is another great way to spend time with your kids doing every day stuff. A simple case of "Father Time" - nothing special but ever so fulfilling.

-Stef

Getting your child to develop

Submitted by Children Dentist (not verified) on Thu, 18/02/2010 - 6:07pm.

Getting your child to develop good dental hygiene habits at an early age is critical to preventing dental problems later in age.

Every patient has the right

Submitted by encanto dentist (not verified) on Thu, 21/05/2009 - 4:09am.

Every patient has the right to question the dental professional who is about to provide a service and if you are not comfortable with the answers then get up and walk out and find another office. You also have the right to ask to see the sterilization area and talk to the dentist before you have any procedures done.

Austin loves to brush his

Submitted by Momz (not verified) on Mon, 06/04/2009 - 9:06am.

Austin loves to brush his teeth, again, try to tell a 2 year old he's not to swallow the toothpaste, lol. He pulls his bench into the washroom gets the toothpaste on the toothbrush as well as in the sink, and starts to eat and brush. I'm happy he's taken to it. I recently asked my dentist about flossing for kids, and she had mentioned if he has spacy teeth, it's not so much of a concern, but still get him in the habit of it. So, I got him some children floss and, well, let's just say it's hilarious.
When he is 3 I'm going to take him to the dentist for his first checkup.
My dentist suggested that when I'm coming for a cleaning to bring him so he can get used to it :)

We have a 4-month old girl

Submitted by Dr. Ernest Wong (not verified) on Thu, 26/03/2009 - 9:00pm.

We have a 4-month old girl so we'll soon will be "brushing" her teeth. Thanks for sharing.

Exactly....It's what you

Submitted by Dr. Joseph Portland (not verified) on Mon, 19/01/2009 - 4:17pm.

Exactly....It's what you called bonding time with your child. It's really amazing how kids learn every day. Fun to watch indeed.

Thanks - how is toothpaste

Submitted by stefan on Wed, 14/01/2009 - 8:23pm.

Thanks - how is toothpaste for children different from ordinary toothpaste?

-Stefan

Hi Hamfrey - thanks! What

Submitted by stefan on Wed, 14/01/2009 - 8:21pm.

Hi Hamfrey - thanks! What age do you think is a good age to take children to the dentist for the first time? Should they go for a check-up even if they don't have any problems?

-Stefan

Indeed, quality time with

Submitted by Dr. Hamfrey Portland (not verified) on Wed, 14/01/2009 - 6:31am.

Indeed, quality time with the kids is PRICELESS. I hope you can also introduce your kid to the dentist as early as possible. That way, he grows up without ever being scared of us. We are kind tooth fairies (okay, in my case I'm an Elf.)

This is a fascinating

Submitted by Dr. D.C. Reeves (not verified) on Fri, 09/01/2009 - 12:34am.

This is a fascinating father-and-child bonding activity. It is really important to teach children at early age the proper way to take good care of their teeth. Some kids even hate brushing! Take a look also at toothpaste that is especially designed for little kids.

Noah maybe you could teach

Submitted by James of Littlenomads (not verified) on Fri, 27/06/2008 - 2:33pm.

Noah maybe you could teach my 2 and half year old how to brush his teeth, he really struggles with the concept..
Concerned Dad.