Teeth cleaning?

emja0214 · May 2013

One of my friends emailed me an article saying that you should be cleaning teeth as soon as they come in and get to the dentist before they are 1 year old. Is this true? Maybe STMs do you have any insight? DD is on breast milk and formula only. No solids until 6 months.

jobiann · May 2013

Our dentist too does free cleanings when we go for ours. Our pedi is a strong advocate of early teeth care...she even gave him his first tooth brush and tooth paste.

sbevmc09 · May 2013

IMHO this advice is overrated. You're supposed to wipe their teeth off with a washcloth at least once a day. Wiping the gums is more for routine. The age at which dentists recommend kids come in for a cleaning varies. I rarely hear it recommended before 2 yrs, many recommend 3yrs.

I can tell you that we were really lax with the teeth brushing thing until DS was a little older. I really wouldn't worry about it too much unless you have a family history of dental problems or something. Some people's teeth are just softer than others. If we had issues with cavities I would probably be more worried about cleaning his teeth earlier on. Breastmilk and formula do have sugars in them. You'll also hear people recommend never nursing/feeding to sleep because then it sits on their teeth. Again, I think generally speaking that's a little much.

Again, this is JMO based on experience and I feel like I have a pretty common/practical outlook from talking to friends with kids. Totally anecdotal though.

this decaf life · May 2013

My dentist said, in general, it's ridiculous for a kid to come in until they are about 2-3. I know he's seen kids as young as 2 with cavities but generally they're the exception. We won't take Eloise until we're back in the States which means she'll be 2.5

Wild_flower25 · May 2013

when DS was young, our pedi told us to take him to the denist when he turned 3. They've started recommending earlier, but IMO the only point is to get them used to it because the dentist really doesn't do much when they are this young. DS got his teeth late, so he maybe had 2 teeth when he was 1. And I was really bad about cleaning them myself, but I always kept an eye on them and if anything looked strange I would have taken him sooner. He hasn't had a cavity yet.

They don't even do xrays until they are 4. So it's just a visual exam before that. I don't plan on taking DD until she's 2 or 3 either.

lindsey913 · May 2013

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that children should be seen 6 months after the first tooth erupts or by age1 (whichever is earlier). Many general practitioners, however, won't see children in their practice until age 3 or so. Definitely ask your provider and of course pediatric dentists will be happy to see them at any age.

It's a good idea to wipe the gums with a washcloth but at the very least you should be brushing teeth as soon as they erupt into the mouth.

shea5711 · May 2013

I'm a dental hygienist and FTM. We typically see kids around 2.5 or 3 yrs old. I usually tell parents to bring the 2 yr old with them so they can watch mommy or daddy in the chair and go for a chair ride if they want. Sometimes we even take a quick peek with a mirror if the LO will let us. When it is time for the LO to have his own appt, we only do what the child is comfortable with. Sometimes we just go for a chair ride and sometimes we can get through the whole cleaning. We try to keep it as much of a positive experience as possible.

As for now i wipe out DS mouth with a cloth every day and use a toothbrush on his gums a few times a week. Once he gets a tooth in, we'll continue this and working on brushing more over time. There's no need to use toothpaste yet either, if you do feel its necessary make sure its fluoride free.

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