Brushing Your Baby’s First Teeth: A Small Daily Routine

Start brushing when your baby's first tooth appears. Use a small, soft-bristled toothbrush and a smear of fluoride toothpaste about the size of a grain of rice for children younger than three. Brush twice a day, with you doing the brushing rather than expecting your baby to manage it.

One little tooth can seem easy to overlook in a busy evening. Give the brush a visible place for adults and keep it out of your child's reach.

Choose the brush for the mouth in front of you

Look for a small head and soft bristles, following the brush's age guidance. Hold it yourself before buying an elaborate set: a handle that fits your hand matters when you are helping a wriggly baby.

The American Dental Association's guidance for babies and children supports brushing from the first tooth, twice daily, with that rice-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste under age three. Put the toothpaste on the brush yourself. A long ribbon of paste, like the one in many adult toothpaste advertisements, is too much for this age.

Store the tube where children cannot help themselves to it. Keep the baby's brush identifiable so it does not become mixed up with an older sibling's brush.

Find a position where you can see

Choose a secure position in which you can support your baby and see into their mouth. You do not have to stand at a bathroom mirror. Sitting with the baby supported on your lap may be easier; ask a dental professional to demonstrate a position if you are uncertain.

Bring the supplies to you first. Avoid balancing the baby on a counter or reaching across the room while holding them. A clean washcloth nearby is useful for wiping a dribble afterward, and a small tray can stop the toothpaste tube rolling off a shelf.

If bath supplies already have a home in your bathroom, keep the dental items separate and dry between uses as their care instructions require. Our towel and washcloth set can cover the ordinary cleanup step; it is the toothbrush that cleans erupted teeth.

Make the routine recognizable

Pick an existing morning and evening activity as a reminder. For example, the adults can check the baby's teeth-brushing step before putting away the evening washing supplies. Agree who is responsible when two people share care, so each does not assume the other has done it.

A brief familiar song or the same reassuring words can help you keep a calm tone. The aim is to carry out the care, not to persuade a baby to perform for the mirror. If brushing is consistently painful or very difficult, ask your child's dentist for help with the technique and possible causes.

Keep these four questions on your routine checklist:

• Has the first tooth appeared?
• Is the brush small and soft enough for this child?
• Have I applied only the recommended amount of toothpaste?
• Have we covered both the morning and evening brushing?

Teething care and tooth cleaning are different jobs

A baby may chew a suitable teething toy while awake, but chewing does not replace brushing. Drooling also does not tell you how many teeth have arrived. Our guide to drooling and teething covers those observations without treating every unsettled day as teething.

Common questions

When is the first dental appointment?

The ADA baby-teeth guide recommends a first dental visit after the first teeth appear and no later than the first birthday. You can ask about brushing technique at that appointment.

Do I wait until several teeth have come through?

No. Begin with the first tooth rather than waiting for a full row.

Can a baby do the brushing?

You need to do it for them. Holding a brush with supervision can be part of getting familiar with it, but it does not replace the adult's cleaning.

Prepared by Vesta Baby. Sources checked October 20, 2026.