When to Brush?

I started brusing my daughter's teeth as soon as she got 1 tooth (5 months). I don't remember what type of toothpaste I used, but it was especially for babies.

E.,
You should brush/clean your baby's teeth at least twice a day by using a wet washcloth or gauze pad and gently wipe them with a small amount of toothpaste. Fluoride toothpaste would be best, but if you don't want to use fluoride then use a toothpaste that is free of it. If you look in the drugstores in the toothbrush section you'll probably be able to find a baby size toothbrush with tiny soft bristles. Another thing on the market now for babies is a product called spiffies or some other name, I can't quite re-call, but these are little wipes that contain Xylitol (zylatol) which is a naturally occuring sugar free sweetener that actually keeps plaque from forming acid on teeth. It is a really great product, and you can find lots of sugarless chewing gum now a day with xylitol in it. I know your baby won't be chewing gum but it's a great product for your teeth too!
Take care of his teeth, cleaning them regularly and don't let him sip juice all day out of a cup or bottle, give him lots of water. Have fun!

P.S. Have you really looked into the benefits of safely monitored fluoride supplements? Please ask your dentist and do some research, you'll be surprised!

Good for you! No fluoride!
Fluoride is a poison and we should not give it to children. (most of my collegues do not agree with me, that's because they, like most people have all those fluoride misconceptions).
Just one advice: do not let the dentist give your child X-rays until it is extremely necessary. Dentists tend to over radiate our children unecessarily.
Greetings.

His teeth should have been being brushed the moment they
appeared. Twice a day, with a soft infant sized toothbrush.
there are also bubblegum and other flavors out there that
the kids seem to like the taste of better than the adult
pastes as they seem spicy or hot to most small children.
W.

I started wiping all of my daughters gums twice a day, before they had any teeth. Just use a washcloth and wipe down. Once teeth started coming in I used a fingertip brush that came with a cleanser by Gerber. It doesn't have any fluoride since it is not advisable to have it until they are able to spit and not swallow. I have done this with all my daughters, the oldest is almost 12, and not had one single dental problem or cavity. Whether you do or don't do floride is your decision, but I did it and all my girls have been healthy and have impecable dental hygiene. The important thing is to introduce them to proper dental hygiene at an early age and that way they won't be resistant to it as they get older. Keep up the good work.

I say yeah, brush! Get a little finger brush with rubber bristles. You don't need much except water. There are training pastes to get them used to tastes without the flouride if you want to use pastes and gels later on, but mainly you just need to disrupt plaque and get your child used to having gums and teeth brushed.

You can also wipe a mouth down with a damp clean washcloth (we do this too.) Disrupting the laydown of plaque, and socializing to a toothbrush, that's really what it's all about.

Be forewarned: even if you do the mellow intro to toothbrushing, your kid might rebel around age 18 months (mine seriously did. Near panic attacks during toothbrush time. Sometimes she goes all out even now.) If this happens, the most important time to really force a brushing is before bed. And do not feel bad about forcing if you have to, it feels awful, but just keep telling yourself if they have their mouth open, it's easier to brush the teeth.

To deal with that fiasco should it occur,
-get some cute books about toothbrushing from the library and rotate them weekly;
-Get a battery operated toothbrush (my kid was afraid of this until we actually went to the dentist and she got to have her teeth worked on. The dentist worked miracles!)
-go visit the dentist when your child is old enough to grasp the idea. It will help IMMENSELY with toothbrushing if you go to a pediatric dentist with all the bells and whistles and a fully trained kid-friendly staff.
-Bonus from the dentist: get a tutorial on the most gentle holds to get your kid's teeth brushed. Literally, we held her the way they recommended for 2 weeks, and suddenly she calmed down and let us into her mouth. With the electric toothbrush!

Please, thank you, Magic Magic Magic!

my daughter is 9 mo and has two teeth. I got one of those finger tip brushes and started using it last week. It's mostly to get them use to the procedure more than anything at this age. It came with a special infant tooth cleanser called Gerber Grins and Giggles(they don't call it tooth paste b/c it contains no abrasives or fluoride and is safe to swallow - no fluoride tooth paste until they can spit, while it does help promote healthy teeth it can be toxic if they swallow too much) . Hers is apple and banana flavor (natural flavors w/out any color) and she loves it. She opens up very wide when she sees it coming.

Buy a infant/kids toothbrush and it usually comes with the baby toothpaste and brush the teeth and gums twice a day.

The way to teach a child to brush their teeth is to brush yours in front of them. When they are in the bath tub brush your teeth. Since all children want to grow up and do grown up things it will be a natural for them to want to copy you. It will let them know this is what big people do.

Since yours is an infant, for now just wipe with a damp cloth, and give water after feeding.

I would check at your holistic health food store if you want one without flouride. I think Toms of maine might make a childrens one. Flouride is a heavy metal and so I don't blame you for not wanting to use it.

yeah i work in a dental office as soon as they get teeth in brush them and it is going to be hard at first because the dont wanna do it but keep at it brush with water for now and you can find lil baby tooth paste at any store

Hi E.,
Please look at my profile to see my experience in this area. It is best to start brushing as soon as the first tooth erupts. I started wiping my daughter's gums with a washcloth at about 3-4 months old. I now use an infant toothbrush which is very small and soft. I HIGHLY recommend using a infant toothpaste with xylitol like OralB Stages Baby toothpaste. I also prefer their toothbrushes. If you haven't been brushing or wiping his mouth yet expect some battles. You can lay him in your lap with his head between your knees while you brush. I had to hold my daughter down at this age for a few months while she screamed like a banshee. I would tell her that she two choices, she could sit still and open her mouth while I brushed or I would hold her still while I brushed. Either way, she was getting her teeth brushed. It is VERY important to start good oral hygiene from the start. Children can get cavities even at this age and fixing them can be extremely traumatic and expensive. You should also make him an appointment for his first dental visit, if only to meet the dentist and ride in the chair. If you have questions, email me.
Sincerely,
L.

PS As to fluoride, one can find just as many studies that are for fluoride as those that are against fluoride. The great thing about the U.S. is that we are free to make our own decisions and choices. If one chooses not to give fluoride supplements it is that much more important to limit sugars and practice VERY good oral hygiene habits from birth. Also eliminating middle of the night feedings, whether breastfeeding or bottle, helps reduce chances for tooth decay once teeth are present.

Need to brush or at least wipe them off as soon as they come through. Orajel makes a non flouridated toothpaste. That with an infant toothbrush & you should be good to go.

Give him a toothbrush to chew on while he is sitting in the high chair before a meal, in the car, after breakfast - and when you give him a bath, just wipe his teeth with the washcloth. 4 teeth do not warrant real brushing yet, and certainly not with toothpaste of any sort be it adult or childrens.
One of the BEST things you can do for his teeth is have him drink your local tap water - our water in the bay area is some of the best around, and is lightly floridated in most towns and cities - if your town happens to be one of those that doesn't floridate the water, you can get little chewables for him from his ped when he has more teeth (like 6-10 teeth).