Guide to Oral Care for Your Toothy Toddler

Protect your little one’s cheeky grin with this oral care guide for toddlers.

It's an exciting time for both you and your little one. By the time your child has turned one and a half years old, he would have become comfortable with solids as part of his daily diet.

This means that he has been sprouting strong healthy milk teeth to help with the chewing and gnawing; mum and dad have also been able to introduce exciting new foods from the various food groups to him.

Related: Getting Ready for Solids

Report Card: Habits You've Built

By this time, you have probably:

Started brushing his teeth with a soft toothbrush twice a day.
Weaned him off on-demand night feeds of formula milk in a bottle.
Transited to full cream milk.
Weaned him off the milk bottle and switched him to milk in the cup so that he has no chance to fall asleep with the milk bottle.
Regularly lifted his upper lip to check for early signs of tooth decay.
Made a conscious effort not to let your little one frequently snack on sweetened foods and beverages.
Brought the little one to the dentist for his first visit.

Keep up the good work, mummy and daddy! Now, what's next?

Related: Help Your Child Smile for Life

Review That Brushing Technique

You've been brushing your child's teeth so much you probably feel like a pro, but here's a quick reminder how best to brush:

Use a toothbrush with soft bristles that's gentle on the gums and a small head that fits comfortably into your child's small mouth.
Brush all surfaces of the teeth—chewing, inner, and outer—as well as the tongue.
Brush twice a day, once in the morning after your baby wakes, and another time just before he goes to bed, after the last meal/milk feed.
Brush for at least two minutes. Make these two minutes fun by singing a song!

Is It Time for Toothpaste?

Fluoride in toothpaste protects your child's teeth from tooth decay by strengthening it. Fluoridated toothpaste containing at least 1000ppm fluoride prevents tooth decay. However, children can get fluorosis on permanent teeth from swallowing too much fluoride toothpaste. Fluorosis results in a change in colour or texture of the teeth.

To prevent fluorosis, ensure that an appropriate amount of toothpaste according to your child's age is dispensed and that your child does not swallow the toothpaste.

Due to the concern for dental fluorosis, the recommendation for use of a smear amount (size of a rice grain) of 1000ppm fluoride (F) toothpaste for children below 3 years old should be limited to those at high-risk for dental caries. At your child's first dental visit, the dentist can determine your child's caries risk and make the appropriate recommendation for toothpaste use.

For children 3 years old and above, who are less likely to swallow toothpaste, use a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste.

After Brushing Comes Flossing and Rinsing, Right?

As a general guide, your child's teeth needs to be flossed once they come into contact with each other. Flossing has to be done by an adult as a child wouldn't be able to do so on his own. Try using a pre-threaded floss pick if you are uncomfortable with using string floss.

Mouthwash should not be used by children under the age of six, especially if it contains alcohol.

Don't Forget About the Diet

A proper diet not only helps your child grow up strong and healthy, it can also prevent tooth decay. Mums and dads should avoid giving their little one anything that is high in sugar for as long as possible—these include candies, lollipop and even biscuits with cream or chocolate fillings. Go for plain biscuits which are less sweet. Even dried fruits like raisins can cause tooth decay when eaten frequently throughout the day. As frequent snacking can increase your child's risk for tooth decay, keep to 3 main meals and at most 2 snacks a day. That's the best way to get your child's teeth to a strong healthy start!

Fruit: Choose fresh over dried

This list is not restricted to just sweets and chocolates! Treats like raisins and other dried fruits are also high in sugar and can cause tooth decay—especially since they stick to the grooves of teeth.

Instead, offer fresh cut fruit or veggies instead: apple and pear slices, carrot or celery sticks are all good options. Other tooth-friendly snacks include cheese and nuts.

Milk and water's your best bet

Avoid giving your child juice and other sugary drinks (e.g. soft drinks, flavoured milk, malt chocolate drinks). Do not add too much sugar to homemade beverages. Offer these sweet treats together with meals. Avoid filling your child's water bottle with sweetened beverages, frequent consumption of sugary drinks throughout the day can increase one's risk to tooth decay.

Milk and water remain the best fluids for your little one. Remember not to let your child go to bed with a bottle of formula milk as that's going to cause the sugary liquid to pool around his teeth and lead to tooth decay. In fact, it would be best to let your child learn to drink from a cup instead so that there is a higher chance for you to brush your child's teeth after his last milk feed, just before he goes to bed.

Remember: Milk Teeth Are Important Too!

It's a common misconception that since milk teeth fall out, it's not that important to take proper care of them. That's a myth. Tooth decay in a milk teeth can, in fact, affect the developing permanent tooth. And a baby tooth falling out before its time may also cause misalignment of adult teeth.

So make sure to instil proper dental care as part of your child's daily routine as early as possible because your child needs strong, healthy teeth in order to chew, speak and of course, flash that cute smile at mummy and daddy.

Visit Parent Hub, for more useful tips and guides to give your child a healthy start.

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References:

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When Should My Child Start Flossing Her Teeth?. Retrieved November 2018 from https://www.parents.com/advice/big-kids/hygiene/when-should-my-child-start-flossing-her-teeth/
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Caring for Your Child's Teeth. (2015, July). Retrieved November 2018 from https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a539851/caring-for-your-childs-teeth
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Wendy C. Fries. (2010, October 28). Dental Health Care: Tots, Tweens, and Teens. Retrieved November 2018 from https://www.webmd.com/children/features/dental-health-care-tots-tweens-teens
Renee A. Alli, MD. (2018, September 8). Brushing and Flossing Children's Teeth. Retrieved November 2018 from https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/brushing-flossing-child-teeth#1
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This article was last reviewed on 15 Nov 2022