The Teething Point

Q. Dear Dawn,

I am just wondering how I can clean my kids’ teeth. I have a baby less than a year old and a two-year-old. I honestly don’t know what to do. I am not sure but I feel that a toothbrush would be too much for their sensitive teeth. When do you start brushing teeth and how would you clean teeth without a toothbrush?

Armina Salim, Ilo-ilo City

In my experience with both my children’s teeth, I made it a point to consult a pediatric dentist right from the start of the first budding tooth. Ask your children’s pediatric doctor to refer you to one. This way, your kids will start getting used to regular dental routine visits while they practice patiently sitting still and leaving their mouths wide open for cleaning.

At the pediatric dental clinic, we parents are taught how to care for our toddlers gums and new teeth. I learned that even before teeth sprout, we should already regularly massage our babies gums with a soft damp face cloth. Wet the face towel and twist the corner around your pinky finger as you get it in and around the nooks and crannies of the child’s gums. Pay special attention to the tongue to clean it out of milk formula residue. At first babies cry, perhaps they feel their private space has been invaded but with regular twice-a-day cleaning (morning and night), they’ll soon get the hang of it. My kids started at five months.



If you find the use of a wet towel wrapped around your finger too tedious, there are rubber gum and tongue scrapers for babies that are out in the market. I let my kids play with them and teach them how to insert it into the mouth so they learn how to do it themselves.

When my kids become curious about how I get the white foamy suds into my mouth, I tell them that this is what brushing one’s teeth is about. Then, I show them how to do it with their own rubber brushes. This actually helps build their self-confidence and lessens the fear factor when it’s my time to go in and finish the job.

It does get tricky when the teeth start to show, for this is the time when their gums become sore and they may even find chewing on their favorite food very difficult.

Go easy on the gum massage as this will be extra sensitive to the touch. How do you tell when a child is feeling the pains of sprouting teeth? Their mood changes. They may become antsy and easily irritated. Their food intake may decrease or in some, may increase.They may also become choosy with what they want to eat. Mostly, they’ll stay off the harder-to-chew foods and go for the easy-to-bite fares. Give a child an ice cube, or a popsicle to suck on, they’ll find some relief here for their aching gums.

Apply a small dab of “kiddie tooth gel” (You’ll find this tube in a supermarket or sold at your dentist’s clinic) to your child’s rubber gum and tongue scraper as an extra cleaning aid. Don’t worry, these gels are safe and designed to be ingested since babies will still not know how to expel the kind of toothpaste we adults are used to. Once you’ve graduated your child to a real toothbrush fit for their toddler age, you should still use this kiddie tooth gel to help clean their teeth and gums.

In my children’s case, this is the time when I start teaching them how to spit out water after teeth cleaning. I let them have fun with it for first few tries since kids will always like to play water-spitting. Allow your kids to practice the same, so they can learn how to get used to the idea. Trust me, spitting does come in handy for those times when kids accidentally ingest a dangerous thing and you have to ask them not to swallow but to spit.

Later on, you’ll be teaching them how to expectorate, to cough out or spit out phlegm to clear out the bronchial passageways. These are nasty practices but will be for the better if they’re taught early.

How do you know when it’s time to start brushing a child’s teeth? As soon as they have them. It’s best not to wait until it’s too late and we’re dealing with rotten teeth.

Milk, starchy foods, and sweets have a way of getting into the tooth enamel and causing bad breath and cavities. So, whether you choose to do it manually with a soft towel or a kiddie toothbrush, just make sure it’s done at least twice a day, everyday.

Another word of wisdom: it’s never too soon to get kids into the habit of dental hygiene. The younger you start them on it, the better for both you and your child later on.

source: Manila Bulletin