Teeth brushing - when to start?

At what age did you start brushing your kids' teeth? Ethan is almost 11 months and has 7 teeth.  It seems a bit daft to start with those few teeth and god knows how I would get him to spit but something I read said start as soon as they get any teeth.

I think I started around 10 to 11 months.  We started at first with just the brush, then after a few weeks moved on to putting toothpaste on the brush.  We've been using Tom's of Maine toothpaste.  It's an all natural, fluoride toothpaste.  No artificial gunk.

I started brushing Nicholas' teeth as soon as he got them in - first tooth around 10 months, I think?  For the first maybe two or three teeth I just used a soft washclothe - mainly to get him used to having something kinda weird in his mouth. Then gave him a toothbrush to play with and, of course, it goes straight in the mouth so he became used to it. From there it was just using a mild toothpaste. You needn't use very much, even - just a smattering over the top of the bristles. That way any ingested toothpaste is of a tiny quantity. I think they must feel quite good to chomp on when little ones are teething since all three of my boys chomped so much on theirs I replaced them about once a month.

We just started with Philip, at 16 months old. He got his first teeth at 4 months so it was pointless doing it then!  We've waited until he showed interest in doing it (he went from not caring about me brushing my teeth to "ooooooh what is mommy doing?!"). We used an Oral B toothpaste designed for Under 2's.

He doesn't actually get much clean by doing it - and is independent to a fault so he will NOT let us do it for him, but he gets the point. Right now what he does is bite the bristles with his molars, so I figure it can't be doing any harm.

We look at it this way: even if he isn't being efficient, AT ALL, it is still getting him into the habit of doing it. And it won't be long before he is doing it right - and I doubt that in his 30's he'll be suffering for a few months of ineffective brushing at this age.

 

I have crap teeth.  I'm terrified Aillidh will inherit them, so we've been brushing her gums since she was about 6 months.  Now we brush 2x a day.  As soon as she's able, I'll get her an electric brush and start flossing.

The general consensus (in the medical and dental community) is to start brushing as soon as teeth show up.  You don't have to use a brush, a washcloth will do fine.  It's especially important once they begin to eat/drink dairy, as the sugars in milk can do a number on their teeth and gums.  Plus, the earlier you get them used to it, the easier it will be to get them to brush when they're big enough to do it themselves.

I started using a finger brush made for teething babies around 12 months because she was a late teether but now at 22 months she has a mouth FULL of teeth.  Now we use a baby toothbrush, She still sucks the brush and sticks her tongue out but she is getting better (slowly).

I started using a finger brush made for teething babies around 12 months because she was a late teether but now at 22 months she has a mouth FULL of teeth.  She still sucks the brush and sticks her tongue out but she is getting better (slowly).

Glad we're not the only ones.  DD is 25 months.  She lets you properly brush for a bit, then wants to chew the brush.  I try to encourage her by reminding her that Maisy Mouse brushes her teeth.  It helps . . . for about half a minute.

My son is 3- we've been brushing since he had 3 teeth (first just a finger-tip brush, then we moved on- thank goodness- ick)- He still won't spit it out, so we're still using "swallow-safe/ flouride free" toothpaste. Goofy kid.

Glad we're not the only ones. DD is 25 months. She lets you properly brush for a bit, then wants to chew the brush. I try to encourage her by reminding her that Maisy Mouse brushes her teeth. It helps . . . for about half a minute.

Yeah!  You are NOT the only one.   It is a pain in the butt, it makes me want to skip teeth brushing some nights because I feel like it's just not a good enough job.  Her tongue blocks her teeth and I find it very hard to brush her upper teeth.  When I am really tired I grab a washcloth and clean her teeth that way.

we started wiping Calvin's teeth as soon as he got them! (at just past 6 months.) we used gauze at first as two little nubs didnt seem enough to use a toothbrush on. and now, we've been brushing his teeth twice daily for a while now. (alternating berry and mint toothpaste so we doesnt just like the fruity one.)
most things i've read say you should brush as soon as the teeth as there as babies teeth can decay just like ours. 

now getting Calvin to try to brush his own teeth without gnawing the toothbrush... well, we're working on that!


if Ethan sees you brushing your teething, maybe he won't be intimidated by it. but i would definitely get a soft baby brush and start getting him used to it without toothpaste at first its often not that bad!! C will (on MOST days/nights) let us hold him and brush his gnashers (tops and bottoms) with no problem!

good luck!!:)

We started brushing them as soon as he got teeth.  Just water on a baby toothbrush.  At DS one year check up I was suprised that they told me to start using toothpaste so he gets a bit of a flouride supplement.   

So now I put the smallest dab of childrens toothpaste on the brush.  In the last few weeks he started screaming when I brush his teeth (he's cutting something, but I can't get in there to see) so we're back to brushing with my finger every night.

Thanks for the advice everyone. We've got a baby toothbrush so going to start tomorrow morning.

Thanks for the advice everyone. We've got a baby toothbrush so going to start tomorrow morning.

let us know how it goes!