When and how to clean your baby's teeth

Advice on looking after your baby's first teeth including information on tooth care and tips on cleaning and brushing milk teeth.

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Cleaning your baby's teeth > When and how to clean your baby's teeth

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As soon as your baby's first tooth appears, you should start caring for it. Most experts recommend wiping the tooth a couple of times a day with a cloth. This keeps the residue from milk from sticking to the tooth. Also available are baby toothbrushes that fit on your finger, these have very soft bristles and can also be used to clean the tooth. This is a useful item to use, particularly as more teeth arrive.

Adult toothpaste is not recommended until a child is about three because they may swallow it and get too much fluoride. However there are many varieties of children's toothpaste on the market, in a variety of flavours, colours and branding.

By the time children are a year and a half, they are more interested in the toothbrush. It is worth giving them a toothbrush as soon as they become interested. By two years of age you can teach them how to brush with a toothbrush twice a day.

Take your baby with you to the dentist from being a tiny baby so he or she can get used to the sights, sounds and going regularly. This should help when a check up is needed once your baby's teeth begin to grow.