Teeth cleaning in babies and toddlers

We start cleaning as soon as the first tooth erupts into the mouth, which is usually around 5-7 months.

Which tools YES?

We choose brushes not only by colours and pictures, but by the hardness and arrangement of the fibres.

A baby toothbrush with soft bristles and a straight cut is suitable. For example, Curakid from Curaprox or TePe Mini x-soft from TePe.

Beware of toothbrushes with hard bristles, as these are not sensitive to delicate baby gums and may injure them.

The absolute best is a solo toothbrush from Curaprox. It has a small head that is easy and dexterous to handle in a tiny child's mouth, and it can also clean all areas of the tooth really thoroughly.

You can also try sonic toothbrushes. We recommend Philips Sonicare for Kids. It can make brushing more interesting and fun for children, while being a very effective method to remove plaque quickly and efficiently.

Which tools NO?

Absolutely insufficient are teething toys or teething rings. They do not remove plaque, children can play with them, bite them, but cleaning with a classic toothbrush is no substitute.

Colourful toothbrushes are also unsuitable; although they have beautiful colours and are decorated with children's pictures, they have hard bristles or too large a head that is difficult to handle.

Which toothpaste?

For really small children up to about 1 year, it is not necessary to use toothpaste at all. We also recommend toothpaste with fluoride. Preferably Elmex Kids 0 - 6 years and Elmex Junior 6 - 12 years.

Amount of toothpaste from 1 year - size of a grain of rice

Amount of toothpaste from 2 years - size of a lens

Amount of toothpaste from 3 years - pea size

Fluoride-free toothpastes have no effect on tooth enamel. But we don't have to resist them. If a good flavour will entice your child to brush their teeth, why not use it. In our experience, kids like JackNJill toothpastes.

How do we brush teeth?

Location is important. The smallest babies can lie on the bed or changing table. The best position for brushing toddlers' teeth seems to us to be the position where mom brushes their teeth "from behind". The baby's head is in her lap and her hands are fixed under her thighs.

We hold the toothbrush like a pencil and make gentle circles on each tooth about 10 circles. The rings are small, only in the range of one tooth. We brush all sides and finally the biting surface of the tooth.

The most important thing for dental health is regular brushing in the morning and evening, using the correct technique and under visual control. If you brush your child's teeth properly before bedtime, they can be nursed at night and tooth decay will not develop.

How not to brush teeth?

The worst is when the youngest children stand in front of us at the cleaning and we try to brush their teeth blindly. We don't have them properly fixed, the children shake their heads from side to side and it's easy to injure them and discourage them from brushing again.