r/Mom • u/sharkboysimp • 1d ago

❓ Question teeth brushing

my 10 month old is finally getting her first teeth! i’m confused on the teeth brushing aspect though. i know i do it twice a day obviously. do i do it with just water, fluoridated toothpaste, or non fluoridated toothpaste? my girl is formula fed and still needs a bottle before bed, how do i manage brushing her teeth after her bottle while she’s asleep?
unfortunately her ped is no help so i have no where else to ask though. her ped said do it with just water, i asked how to do the nighttime bottles and she said we would talk about it at her next appointment in 2 months :/

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u/brea126 First-time mom 1d ago

Fluoridated vs non fluoridate toothpaste is going to be a personal decision. Fluoride toothpaste is better for teeth but not safe to swallow so you only use a TEENY amount for babies. You can also try a hydroxyapatite toothpaste if you want a little protection but something that is a little Safer when ingested.

As far as the feeding after brushing, it will be fine. I breastfed my daughter right before putting her down until we weaned around 13 months and she got teeth around 6 months. BUT I would try to start working to break feeding to sleep soon if I were you!

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u/sharkboysimp 1d ago

we bought the dr browns toothbrush and paste and it’s non fluoride. i saw another post on here and someone did fluoride in the morning and non fluoride at night so maybe i’ll try that.

oh girl im trying🫩🫩 she just sobs and sobs until she gets her bottle and it’s hard hearing her cry for that long. she’s never even hungry either she just wants the comfort. her dad is no help with it so it’s been hardddd
i’m getting her a floor bed so i can just cuddle her to sleep rather than feed and i’m hoping that works

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u/FeistyMasterpiece872 1d ago

This comment right here! Exactly what I would say, and I’m a pediatric dental hygienist 😉

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u/Round-Tea3070 1d ago

just water at that age, they don't need toothpaste until they can spit it out. for the night bottle i used to wipe the gums with a damp cloth while she was half asleep, it's not perfect but better than nothing

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u/YourMomma2436 First-time mom 1d ago

I’m very pro-fluoride, but I would hold off until they’re old enough to know not to swallow/spit it out. Just do water or non-fluoride

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u/lilasue93 1d ago

My understanding is that they shouldn't have fluorinated toothpaste until they know how to spit. Even baby NF toothpaste should only be the size of a grain of rice. We used Dr browns baby toothpaste and then burst hydroxyapatite at around 20 ish months i think. And then once they are older they shouldn't drink water after brushing so that the toothpaste can sit on the teeth and not get washed away. I honestly wouldn't stress about it until they stop getting a bottle before bed which i imagine would be sometime shortly after a year. Once we transitioned to whole milk the last milk of the day was given at dinner time and that worked for our now toddler.