You can start caring for your baby's mouth before those tiny teeth debut! Here are some essential tips on oral hygiene for babies:
Clean their mouth 1-2 times per day between feedings
It’s advised to clean your baby’s mouth after their breastmilk or formula feedings. Gently wipe their gums with a clean, damp cloth or gauze pad. This helps remove any milk residue and gets them used to mouth care.
Move to a toothbrush once teeth emerge
Once you start to see teeth, you can graduate to a toothbrush, but you’ll want to source a small, gentle one designed for babies.
Consider using toothpaste with fluoride
The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Dental Association recommend using fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first tooth emerges, but in small amounts—the size of a tiny grain of rice. You will find options for fluoride-free toothpaste, as well. Fluoride can be a conflicting ingredient because while it has been found to prevent tooth decay, it can also be dangerous to swallow. Prior recommendations also asked parents to wait to introduce fluoride until age 2.
You can read more about this here and bring questions to your next pediatrician visit.
Take steps to minimize the risk of “baby bottle tooth decay”
Baby bottle tooth decay is a term that describes caries that can happen to babies’ first teeth, typically the front two. Sugars are in breastmilk and formula, which can feed bacteria naturally found in the mouth to create conditions that lead to tooth decay. To prevent this, pediatric dentists recommend:
Minimizing exposure to “bad” bacteria in baby’s mouth by avoiding things like kissing on the lips
Brushing their teeth twice a day
Removing their bottle of milk from the crib to prevent all-night sipping.
For nursing overnight, wiping baby’s mouth with a clean rag after feeding is ideal, especially once they have teeth.
You can also partner with a pediatric dentist sooner than you might think! It’s recommended to see a dentist when their first tooth emerges or before their first birthday—whichever comes first.