How can you best take care of your kids’ teeth?

It’s important to know the signs of teething, since it’s a hot topic among mums. Their first teeth can take a while to come through (from around four months), often with related complications. You’ll see reddening of their gums and sometimes on their face too. Children often suffer from temperatures, fever, a cough – so you might not initially realise it’s their teeth coming through. The oral and nasal cavities are so interlinked that a new tooth might present similarly to cold symptoms. Your paediatrician will also confirm this for you. 

How can you take care of your child’s first teeth?

To make teething easier, you should definitely buy your child some teething toys. Take advantage of your child’s natural instinct to put something into their mouth and let them bite on a massage toy, a “toothbrush”, or a teething toy similar to a dummy. You could then get them what we call a finger toothbrush, a silicone sleeve for the index finger with gentle massaging bumps – a kind of first toothbrush. Then, from four months onwards, massage their gums before moving onto their milk teeth so that your child gets used to oral hygiene. 

Presenting the revolutionary FOREO Issa™ Mikro, a sonic electric toothbrush for kids made from naturally antiseptic silicon. Use it to massage your child’s gums while they are teething and then they can use it as a regular electric toothbrush (or, more precisely, a sonic toothbrush for kids) to brush their milk teeth up until the age of four.

To help with teething pain...

Anaesthetic gels from the pharmacy can help relieve teething pain, but feel free to start with a herbal option. Saloos Kid’s Care is made up of natural essential oils containing lavender, chamomile, and rosemary and is suitable for babies over nine weeks of age. Nobilis Tilia’s Baby Teething Oil and the calming Curasept Primidenti Gel are two products which use natural ingredients. Cooling the affected gums can also help (you could trying putting their favourite teething toy in the freezer).

How do I brush my child’s first teeth?

When their teeth first come through, continue using the finger toothbrush several times a day. And when it’s time for a real kids’ toothbrush, stick to these basic principles: soft or ultra-soft bristles, ideally dense and straight-cut so that you can be sure that you’re reaching all the plaque on their teeth and don’t miss anything because of ‘patterns’ or ‘waves’ on the toothbrush head. Use a small, circular motion, without applying too much pressure. Always stick to the rule of ‘half on the teeth, half on the gums’, keeping to a 45-degree angle.

Why not try an electric toothbrush for kids?

Electric and sonic toothbrushes are already popular among adults. And you can also find children’s versions. However, whether it’s with a kids' electric toothbrush or a regular toothbrush, you shouldn’t leave kids to brush their own milk teeth. Even by the age of five or six, parents should still be finishing off brushing since kids often miss bits and don’t do a thorough job. Ideally, you should check your kids’ teeth and finish the job if needed – particularly before they go to bed.

If kids’ teeth aren’t brushed properly, plaque can build up on them, including between the teeth, and you run the risk of ruining their pearly white milk teeth.

When your child starts eating proper food, keep an eye on their sugar intake. Avoid juices, fizzy drinks, carbonated drinks, and of course, biscuits and sweets. Sugary drinks and food stimulate a process similar to fermentation which promotes the reproduction of unwanted bacteria in the oral cavity which can destroy tooth enamel and lead to tooth decay. 

Kids’ toothpastes taste good!

It’s true; kids like the taste of their toothpaste, which is why you need to keep an eye on its fluoride content. For a toothpaste to be suitable for kids under three, the fluoride content must be below 500 ppm (to give you an idea, that’s half a gram per kilogram of toothpaste). Between the ages of four and six, it can be up to 1000 ppm. And from six onwards the upper limit is 1450 ppm. 

For that reason, adult toothpaste is completely unsuitable for kids. Although fluoride does strengthen tooth enamel, too much of it is harmful. Some kids’ toothpastes don’t contain it at all and are still suitable for use. It’s also worth thinking about how much to use. Up to the age of three, a minimal amount is fine (enough to just wet the brush). From three onwards, they should be using a pea-sized amount, and from six onwards, a little bit more. However, using the correct brushing technique remains key.

Dental hygiene for kids

You can also finish off brushing teeth with some kids’ mouthwash.  You just need to keep an eye on them so that they don’t swallow any of it. They should rinse for at least twenty seconds. But brushing technique is still the most important thing. That’s why you should book them in to see the dental hygienist – ideally before all twenty of their milk teeth come through. The dental hygienist will check the quality of their toothbrush and the suitability of their toothpaste, as well as their brushing technique. If your child’s teeth are growing close to one another, they can also start interdental cleaning when they are around pre-school age. You can also discuss with them which mouthwash to use and when to start using it. Usually, a child can do this themselves around the time they start school. 

So that’s a summary of the basic information you need regarding your child’s first teeth and how to look after them. All that is needed now is consistency and patience – twice a day, of course.