My Daughter Loves to Brush Her Teeth

~ Article by Cheng Yi

I’ve started to brush my daughter Amelia’s teeth quite a while ago before she turns one year old after I introduced her to the song "This is the way I brush my teeth" and showing her the actions while I was reading her a nursery rhyme book for her bedtime story. Seeing her getting excited with the actions of brushing teeth, I thought, why not take this opportunity to teach her and start her on a daily habit of cleaning her teeth. Two paediatricians that I consulted actually said that there is no need to brush a baby’s teeth until they are about two years old but I have been thinking to myself whether it would be hard to introduce it much later when our toddler is already used to the habit of not cleaning their teeth!

My sister introduced me to the First Teeth Baby Toothpaste (manufactured by Laclede Healthcare Products Inc., USA) which is to be used with the Infa-Dent Finger Toothbrush. The toothpaste’s label states that it is fluoride free, safe to swallow and is made of natural milk enzymes that can be effective in reducing the bacteria that cause gum irritations and early plague build up when used daily. It has got a natural apple-banana flavour. I find it quite good as it is easy to use.

Every evening before bedtime and in the morning, I will carry Amelia on my left side and first show her how I brush my own teeth, gaggle and rinse my month before I help her brush hers. I will tell her which one is her toothbrush which I will wear on my index finger and which one is her toothpaste as I squeeze a tiny amount of it onto the brush on my finger. Then I will tell her to open her mouth (which she will say ‘’ah...’’) and i will put my finger into her mouth to brush her teeth and her gums using small circular motion. To make the experience more interesting for her, I will sing her ‘’This is the way I brush my teeth’’ while I am in action! I think Amelia enjoys it very much as every time when I ask her to come and brush her teeth, she will happily say ‘’please’’ or ‘’I want!’’ and nod her head in eagerness.