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Few things incite my mother-guilt as quickly as dental hygiene. Don’t ask me why, but I managed to ignore all of the expert advice to begin brushing your child’s teeth even before a pearly white tooth starts to appear in his or her toothless grin. Maybe because Baby J got 8 teeth in 6 weeks that first summer, I was simply trying to get through the trials of teething and wasn’t thinking at all about the long-term health of those beautiful white wonders.

Well, fast forward many months and our now nearly two-year-old son loves to chew on his lion toothbrush and would eat “paste” all day if I would let him. However, he will NOT allow mommy to use the toothbrush to make sure his teeth are actually getting clean. It was a major accomplishment to get him to the point where he would even put the toothbrush in his mouth. Adding toothpaste to the equation initially set us back by more than a month until he suddenly decided that he loved it so much he wanted to eat it. No rhyme or reason to this, of course. So now I’ve tried a new strategy of buying him an appealing new Crayola toothbrush on the condition that he can only have it if mommy gets to help, otherwise no new toothbrush. He gets mad, but he won’t budge and let me near his mouth. I’m getting desperate as he gets older and his diet more varied. Once I don’t have to contend with my momentously pregnant belly, the toothbrush will be making a thorough trip through his mouth each day, like it or not.

There seem to be a lot of different opinions out there about pediatric dentistry so as I prepare to get serious about his teeth, I thought I’d share a few things that I’ve learned along the way in my search to improve the odds that baby J’s baby teeth enjoy a happy stay in his mouth.

1. It’s important! Here’s what one pediatric dental practice informs its patients’ parents about the teeth in their care: “Baby teeth serve the important function of eating, speech, and esthetics (self image). These teeth not only help form the developing jaws, but they hold space for the permanent teeth so that a normal bite occurs. The last baby tooth falls out at about twelve years of age. A decayed baby tooth can become so badly decayed that it can do damage to the permanent tooth. At times severe infections of the face, head, and neck can be caused by infected baby teeth.” Read about it here.

2. Start early and hang in there for the long haul. As already mentioned, the experts seem to agree that starting right from the beginning with sticking your fingers in your child’s mouth is the best bet for getting them accustomed to your future intervention with a toothbrush. Gauze wrapped around your finger or a wet baby washcloth will do the trick to remove plaque in baby’s mouth until around age two when a toothbrush should be introduced. Most dentists agree that children are not really ready to brush on their own until they are between 5 and 7 years of age. Brushing should last for around two minutes – a timer may help.

3. Get thee to a dentist! Here’s where the agreement breaks down. It depends on who you’re consulting as to when your child should first see a dentist. Some say after one year and some say anytime before the third birthday. The best bet is probably to check with your pediatrician and go early if your child seems to have any problems. Now as to whether a pediatric dentist is needed or your regular dentist will suffice, I have no idea.

4. Try to make brushing fun. Here are a few ideas I’ve come across: let your child watch you (enjoying) brushing your teeth, brush your teeth side by side, get out a mirror so he/she can watch you brush his teeth, use a squirt gun for his rinse water, let him/her brush your teeth, and change toothbrushes and toothpastes often to encourage interest.

5. Get into a routine and ensure teeth are brushed twice daily, with once just prior to bedtime. Ugh. Yet another thing to add to the daily load, but like brushing your own teeth I suspect that once this becomes part of the routine, it will become second nature. At least I’m hoping this is the case.

If you’ve got additional tips to share, please pass them along to the rest of us in the trenches!