Keeping Those Baby Pearly Whites Clean

When Kasen started eating solids at 5.5 months, we wanted to start good hygiene early on. So after his evening meal, I would give Kasen his little toothbrush with a smile and say 'Okay, it's time to brush your teeth!" We got two of the baby's first toothbrush from amazon. The best is Kasen thinks it's a toy (he loves to put everything in his mouth), and so he vigorously puts it in his mouth and little does he know, he is brushing his own teeth! Additionally, before bedtime I always wet a washcloth and do a quick swab of his teeth and mouth to wipe it down.



We never bothered getting the finger toothbrush, because he got all of his teeth early and to our dismay is a biter. He got his two bottom teeth at 5 months, followed by his top teeth by 7 months, and the additional lateral incisors by 9 months. So 8 teeth in total.Talk about fast. I dread when the molars come in.

As he gains more teeth, I realized at some point he would need a more vigorous teeth cleaning. So I went and bought the pure baby radius toothbrush and Tom's of Maine Natural Fluoride Free toothpaste in Silly Strawberry from our local Whole Foods as well as the Xlear Spry Tooth Gel for Kids in Strawberry Banana. I was dead set on getting all natural toothpastes without all of the extra unnecessary chemicals. I also wasn't sure if he could use these yet, so we're going to wait until his one year appointment to talk to his pediatrician before using these products (besides, on the toothpaste tube itself it says 2 years or older or contact your physician!).

There are so many conflicting opinions on teeth care. For example, per BabyCenter:

"Keep in mind that while little fluoride is a good thing for your baby's teeth, too much of it can lead to a condition called fluorosis, which causes white spots to show up on your child's adult teeth. This is why it's important to use only the tiniest amount of toothpaste until your child is old enough to learn to rinse and spit it out.

Most municipal water supplies are fortified with adequate fluoride. (Call your local water authority to find out about yours). If yours isn't, or if you get your water from a well, you might consider buying a test kit from your local health department, a hardware store, or a pharmacy."

In the meantime, we'll continue letting Kasen brush his own teeth with just a little bit of tap water until we find out otherwise!