What is the best age to start teaching a child how to brush their teeth?

Question

My son is 14 months and has ten teeth. My husband thinks that it is a good time to start.

Answer 1

no point starting before they are 2 years old. Even if he starts brushing himself, you will have to do it properly for him anyways.

Answer 2

Babies gums should be brushed if they are eating fruits and drinking juices. It is also a good way to help them massage sore teething comes.

Anything sweet can cause decay before the teeth even began to break through. Babies often get a build up of milk on their tongue and that needs to be wiped off with a clean warm wash cloth.

If you don't want to begin before teeth start forming, you should start at the first site of teeth. Not only will it keep their mouth clean, you will teach good oral hygiene and evade premature tooth decay. Teeth of any age can form plague so it is better to be safe than sorry and have to get the child's teeth pulled before it is time for them to come out. There is also a baby/toddler toothpaste that is suppose to be safe if they accidently swallow it.

Good Brushing!!

Answer 3

It is a good age. You should start brushing their teeth as soon as they get them. At 14 months you will still have to give the teeth the final brush, but the sooner they get in the habit of brushing their own teeth the better. Just be sure to tell them not to swallow the toothpaste.

Answer 4

Maybe my parents were the exception to the rule, but I distinctly remember them brushing my teeth (at least before bedtime) when I was in first grade. I don't remember if I brushed my teeth before school, but it seems likely that I did. When I was a child, I know that I used to use my toothbrush in both hands and take about 5 minutes to make sure my teeth were extra clean. I believe that having my teeth brushed by my parents before bedtime helped me to develop good oral hygiene, as they did a better job than I could have when I was a small child.
My teeth are still in great condition. I have never had a cavity.

Answer 5

Yes, it is definitely a great time to start teaching your child to brush his teeth. You can start by buying him a soft toothbrush , maybe the kids stuff like animals, superheroes theme, just something that kids can have fun using it. you have to set a good example to you son like brushing your teeth 3x a day and you can do it together with him. Have fun! don't make it too serious..then later he'll enjoy it..and it becomes a habit for him ..so it's great..it's not never too early to prevent your child from getting cavities in the future because it'll be extremely important to your child's health in the future ;)

Answer 6

I think, from a layman's standpoint, that you should have him begin NOW. He will love to immitate Dad/Mom and from my experience with kids, he will probably end up eating most of the toothpaste, rather than actually doing much good on the teeth! But it's the habit you want to instill. I live abroad most of the time, and I recently spent five years in China. The children there have horrible teeth, yet the stores are full of toothpaste brands, so what gives? I think it is basic ignorance of dental hygene, and also, their parent's never pushed them to brush!

If your kid's teeth don't get early gum and tooth stimulation, then I would think (remember, I am winging this!) his teeth will be more prone to decay, as well as his gums being sensitive. Remember, young kids are not eating anything too substantial in the hard-to-chew range, which, when we were in our primitive state (i.e. Fred Flinstone era) our teeth, even when young, got a lot of workout from eating chewy food items.

Besides, don't you want to see him brushing with one of those cool Sponge Bob SquarePants toothbrushes?

Answer 7

Yes. It's time to start brushing! Little ones learn from you, so take him into the bathroom and brush your teeth and let him give it a try. Make it fun. Of course, you'll have to check his teeth for him afterward to see how clean they are when he's finished. I think you should also be preparing him to go to the dentist. This will help him not develop a fear of tooth care and he'll have wonderful dental hygeine. Hope Santa brings him a few tooth brushes for Christmas!!! Thanks for asking a question that can benefit others. Godblessyour holiday!

Answer 8

I think the best age is 1 year old. Your son is still 14 months. it's too young to teach him to brush his teeth.At his age, he just drinks milk together with eats nourish powder. With these food like that, a child can't be decayed.it's different from food which contain fat, protein and vitamins, so on while the nutrient of these food a child eat is made into powder. In addition, to teeth of a child, you shouldn't use chemicals like toothpaste or use toothbrush to clean his teeth b/c it can be damaged his gum.I should use clean water to clean them.

Answer 9

I'm sure he watches the both of you brush your teeth and he's figured out that he must do the same. But he's also at the age were everything that goes in his mouth he's going to eat it. Toothpaste is tasty to childern I have a 2 year old god daughter and she started out sucking all the toothpaste off the tooth brush. But with me constantly talking to her about not eating it and constantly showing her how to brush then spit she got it. Your son is still a little young for that right now plus eating toothpaste can upset his little tummy.

Answer 10

As soon your child gets his first teeth you should begin cleaning them after meals with wet gauze. When the child start feeling comfortable with the toothbrush, help him to brush his teeth twice a day with a small and very soft toothbrush, you can use very small amount of tooth paste if your child likes it if not then at this point just brushing will be adequate

Answer 11

A good habit like that can be started even earlier. My niece dislikes brushing her teeth because her parents never really made her do it. When she was very young she used to watch me brush my teeth and wash my face (she used to live with us). She would imitate me. Pretty soon I figured that she could brush her teeth with me, and before I knew it we made it into a game where we "raced" to see who could brush all the different parts of their teeth the best. She's 8 right now and has a spare toothbrush in my drawer, and takes any opportunity to brush her teeth with me when she visits.