Right age for a child to start brushing?

Ans. Dental care of the baby begins before the tooth eruption. Brushing should be start as soon as first tooth erupts in the mouth of baby. The first tooth erupts at the age of 6-7 months. Before teeth eruption, the gums of the child should be cleaned with a soft and soaked washcloth or gauze after every feed, so that there is no milk or residues over gums. This should be done especially at night time before putting the baby to sleep, it will reduce the chances of bacterial growth in mouth.

After the eruption of teeth, use a baby toothbrush with smear of fluoride toothpaste. This is important that baby gets used to brushing their teeth daily. Brushing technique for baby is, small circle on front, back and top surface of teeth and along the gum line. Make sure baby does not swallow the toothpaste. If he is not able to spit out, simply wipe away. If small amount is still left, it protects the teeth. Parents have to brush the teeth of children till the age of  5 years or give them proper guidance to brush their teeth comfortably.

The toothbrush should be; with soft bristle, small head and long handle to grip. Toothpaste should have small amount of fluoride.