Oral hygience for toddlers

Copyright (c) 2008 Peter Gallacher

According to latest research lots of parents are failing to brush their little ones teeth correctly. Dr Hap Gill, himself a dentist, took time out from his schedule to talk to us. First off, he gave us his one stop guide of everything to do with teeth and he answered some of our listener questions.

When does the first tooth develop?

The age at which the first tooth appears differs from child to child. The complete set of 20 primary teeth (baby teeth) is usually present by the age of two-and-a-half years. The first permanent teeth appear at around six years of age. Myths about teething - Many things have been attributed to teething: rashes, crying, bad temper, runny noses, extra dirty nappies, etc. None of this can be proven, particularly as so many other things that might influence behaviour are happening in the child's life at the same time. The important thing is not to use teething to explain away what might be the signs of illness.

What can you do when your child is teething?

Sometimes teeth come through with no trouble at all; in other cases, the gum may be sore and red where the tooth is pushing its way out. A child may dribble, gnaw and chew a lot or just be fretful, but it is difficult to tell if this is really due to teething.

Top Tips

Start brushing as soon as teeth appear. Brush thoroughly twice a day (just before bed is important). Help your child brush until they are able to do it well by themselves - usually around the age of seven. Use a fluoride toothpaste and encourage your child to spit after brushing; do not rinse afterwards as this reduces the benefits of the fluoride in the toothpaste. Use a tiny smear of toothpaste for babies and a pea-sized amount for children. Young children will swallow the toothpaste; using a child's toothpaste with reduced fluoride until they are able to spit well. Visit a dentist regularly to get your child used to the surgery. Dr Gill also told us that adult toothpastes should never be used to clean youngsters teeth under the age of six.

The minute you see a tooth you need to get some fluoride toothpaste on it. It normally comes through about six months. Use a tiny smear of toothpaste on your finger and rub it onto the tooth. The flouride strengthens the tooth. You mustn't use an adult toothpaste before the age of six years old. The adult toothpaste has too much flouride and when babies are very young they don't know how to spit out properly. You can overdose on flouride and it can effect the way the other teeth form and look. If they've got too much flouride they can come through with orange or brown on them.

So, when should we be thinking of taking our little ones to visit the dentist?

I like to see young babies the sooner the better. Sometimes they come along with Mum and they bring them along every six months. It gets them used to where they are and the noise and smell. I usually try and have a look when they're about two - two and a half.

What tips do you have for cleaning our tots teeth more fun and enjoyable.?

A great idea is a Musical timer it's like a little timer that children can listen to as they brush their teeth, you can also get musical toothbrushes as well. I always try and encourage brushing with a puppet, he has a great big mouth and I brush the puppets teeth with the toothbrush and I get the children involved.