German magazine Baby and Familie has recommended parents to make use of cotton swab to clean baby’s first teeth. When the little one develops four to five teeth, cotton swab may replace baby toothbrush.
Majority of children at the age of three manage to clean only the surface of the teeth. Hence, parents would have to teach their children about toothbrush use at age three. Children can learn more about the cleaning technique, once they reach the school going age.
The magazine advises against fluoride-fortified toothpaste for children under three as small children often swallow toothpaste, which makes it hard to get the dosage right.
Instead, they should be given tablets fortified with Vitamin D. Once children learn to spit out toothpaste, they should start using a paste fortified with .05 per cent fluoride.
