Young mothers often wonder: Do I have to brush my baby’s teeth? Believe it or not, the answer is yes. Even if baby teeth will eventually give way to permanent ones, it is no less important to take very good care of them, as decayed teeth in young children can impair their ability to absorb nutrients from food and hinder proper speech development.
Then, too, healthy baby teeth help ensure the growth of healthy permanent ones when their time comes.
Having stated this, isn’t it wise to start cleaning your little one’s teeth—twice a day—as soon as you see his first tooth bud emerging?
Baby teeth can be cleaned—after meals and at bedtime—using a soft, damp washcloth, a gauze pad, or a silicone finger brush. You can also use the same to gently scrub the front of your baby’s tongue.
Dentists likewise recommend that you clean your baby’s gums after feedings, to prevent bacterial growth and promote good oral health.
A toothbrush may be used—from the get-go—to brush your baby’s first teeth as long as it is soft, and has no more than three rows of bristles. It is then advisable to use cavity-preventing toothpaste early on, instead of waiting until your child turns two as most parents are wont to do.
More importantly, the key to good oral health for babies is to choose a toothpaste with a baby-friendly formula, like Hapee Baby Infant Toothgel, which is especially designed for children aged four to 24 months.
With a non-foaming formula, Hapee Baby has no added Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), a chemical used in toothpaste to create the foaming action. The baby-friendly toothgel also contains no added sugar and no artificial colors—just a fortified formula to protect your little one’s milk teeth from cavity-causing bacteria.
To top it all, kids have fun brushing with Hapee Baby, which features Baby Mickey and Baby Minnie on its new packaging. To further certify that babies will enjoy brushing time, Hapee Baby Infant Toothgel is available in Strawberry Milkshake flavor.