Photo by LabGP&SigOther

I don’t like going to the dentist, and I am probably not alone.  Just the thought of the poking and scraping at my sensitive gum line makes me cringe!  Not to mention the bill…ouch!  To avoid visiting the dentist more than twice I year, I take preventative oral care very seriously and encourage the rest of my family to do the same.

Yes, I am one of those mommies who brush their baby’s itty bitty teeth every night before she goes to bed.  My daughter is one and has nine teeth.  Before she grew a mouthful of teeth, I took the advice of our pediatrician and wiped her gums with a sterile gauze pad on a daily basis.  I didn’t realize how beneficial this was until I read that 20% of children have tooth decay by age three (American Dental Association).  That is alarming, but it makes sense because babies and toddlers drink mostly formula, juice and milk – all of these contain sugar.

Now that she has several teeth, I use a very soft kid’s toothbrush to brush her teeth.  You can purchase a child’s toothbrush cheaply at any Wal-Mart or Target, and sometimes CVS has them on sale with ECBs!  You can also ask your dentist.  Most likely, he or she will be impressed with your efforts and give you a few to take home for your kids!

My hope is to get my daughter familiar with cleaning her teeth before we reach the land of “terrible twos” and opposition!  I think it’s working because I’ve seen her grab the brush in her room and start biting it!  We’ll get there.

When Rachel isn’t obsessing over teeth, she is blogging about ”all things mommy” over at Modern Mommyhood.