{"id":99,"date":"2021-03-09T16:42:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T16:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/?p=99"},"modified":"2024-09-12T13:18:42","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T13:18:42","slug":"childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/","title":{"rendered":"When Should I Start Brushing My Child\u2019s Teeth?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"mother and young daughter brushing teeth together \" class=\"wp-image-100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Every parent naturally wants what\u2019s best for their child, but unfortunately, parenting doesn\u2019t come with an instruction manual. As a result, you may have a few questions about caring for your little one\u2019s budding smile. When should you start brushing your child\u2019s teeth? When can they start brushing on their own? Read on as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/family-dentist.html\">family dentist<\/a> provides a few children\u2019s oral health tips to ensure your son or daughter grows up with a healthy smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to Start Brushing Your Child\u2019s Teeth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people don\u2019t know this, but you can actually establish an oral hygiene routine with your baby as soon as they come home from the hospital. After every feeding, it\u2019s a good idea to use a damp, clean washcloth or gauze pad to gently wipe your baby\u2019s gums. This will minimize the risk of lingering sugar particles causing an infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As soon as your little one\u2019s first tooth erupts, you should begin cleaning it with a small, soft-bristled toothbrush twice per day. To make the experience easier for your child, you can soften the bristles even more by soaking the brush in warm water for a few minutes beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Brush Your Child\u2019s Teeth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the American Dental Association (ADA), you should use a dab of toothpaste the size of a grain of rice until a child is four years old. After that, you can use a pea-sized amount. Make sure to select a toothpaste that contains <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/fluoride-treatment-for-kids.html\">fluoride<\/a>. This naturally occurring mineral strengthens tooth enamel, fortifying the teeth against cavities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gumline. Gently move it back and forth across the chewing surfaces of each tooth. For the front teeth, hold the brush vertically to clean the front and back surfaces. Don\u2019t forget to brush your child\u2019s tongue from back to front to remove any bacteria that may be accumulated there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When Can Children Brush Their Teeth on Their Own?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You should continue brushing your little one\u2019s teeth until you\u2019re fully confident that they can do it on their own. Generally, kids are ready around the age of six or seven, but every child is different. During this time, you should still monitor them to ensure they\u2019re using the right amount of toothpaste and spitting it out when they\u2019re done instead of swallowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to children\u2019s oral health, brushing their teeth regularly is crucial. By implementing a good oral hygiene routine early on, you\u2019ll be setting them up for a lifetime of healthy smiles!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a father himself, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/meet-your-dentist.html\">Dr. Marc W. Moulton<\/a> understands the importance of children\u2019s oral health as much as anyone. Throughout his 30+ years of experience as a family dentist in Hoover, AL, he has helped patients of all ages achieve and maintain healthy smiles. He has also undergone advanced training through prestigious organizations like the Spear Institute. To learn more about keeping your little one\u2019s developing smile healthy, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/contact.html\">contact<\/a>&nbsp;Moulton Dentistry by calling 205-988-3360.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every parent naturally wants what\u2019s best for their child, but unfortunately, parenting doesn\u2019t come with an instruction manual. As a result, you may have a few questions about caring for your little one\u2019s budding smile. When should you start brushing your child\u2019s teeth? When can they start brushing on their own? Read on as a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>When Should I Start Brushing My Child\u2019s Teeth? | Children&#039;s Oral Health<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Children\u2019s oral health is important if you want your kid to grow up with a great smile. Here\u2019s when you should start brushing your child\u2019s teeth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Should I Start Brushing My Child\u2019s Teeth? | Children&#039;s Oral Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Children\u2019s oral health is important if you want your kid to grow up with a great smile. Here\u2019s when you should start brushing your child\u2019s teeth.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moulton Dentistry Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-09T16:42:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-12T13:18:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"moultondentistry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"moultondentistry\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/\",\"name\":\"When Should I Start Brushing My Child\u2019s Teeth? | Children's Oral Health\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-09T16:42:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-12T13:18:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1113310625ff8c22aca0d48abcfdde92\"},\"description\":\"Children\u2019s oral health is important if you want your kid to grow up with a great smile. Here\u2019s when you should start brushing your child\u2019s teeth.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"When Should I Start Brushing My Child\u2019s Teeth?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Moulton Dentistry Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1113310625ff8c22aca0d48abcfdde92\",\"name\":\"moultondentistry\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3487b45b6b686c5d039e458ca6d32074?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3487b45b6b686c5d039e458ca6d32074?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"moultondentistry\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/author\/moultondentistry\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"When Should I Start Brushing My Child\u2019s Teeth? | Children's Oral Health","description":"Children\u2019s oral health is important if you want your kid to grow up with a great smile. Here\u2019s when you should start brushing your child\u2019s teeth.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"When Should I Start Brushing My Child\u2019s Teeth? | Children's Oral Health","og_description":"Children\u2019s oral health is important if you want your kid to grow up with a great smile. Here\u2019s when you should start brushing your child\u2019s teeth.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/","og_site_name":"Moulton Dentistry Blog","article_published_time":"2021-03-09T16:42:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-12T13:18:42+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910-300x200.jpg"}],"author":"moultondentistry","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"moultondentistry","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/","url":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/","name":"When Should I Start Brushing My Child\u2019s Teeth? | Children's Oral Health","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2021-03-09T16:42:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-12T13:18:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1113310625ff8c22aca0d48abcfdde92"},"description":"Children\u2019s oral health is important if you want your kid to grow up with a great smile. Here\u2019s when you should start brushing your child\u2019s teeth.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/AdobeStock_68431361__1611428299_94910.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/09\/childrens-oral-health-start-brushing-teeth\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"When Should I Start Brushing My Child\u2019s Teeth?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/","name":"Moulton Dentistry Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1113310625ff8c22aca0d48abcfdde92","name":"moultondentistry","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3487b45b6b686c5d039e458ca6d32074?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3487b45b6b686c5d039e458ca6d32074?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"moultondentistry"},"url":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/author\/moultondentistry\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":354,"href":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions\/354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moultondentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}