Tuesday 2 August 2011

Top teeth tips for toddlers

August is Dental Health month. By pure coincidence I booked the girls into see the dentist yesterday, August 1. How good am I? Well, not really that good as it's the first time either of them had been to the dentist.

I've been a little confused as I've always heard mixed messages about when your supposed to take your child to the dentist for the first time. From as soon as their six months old to when they're four. My dentist said he liked to wait until they're about three. At that point he takes them for a ride in the chair and pokes around and makes sure everything seems OK in their mouth and that's it. Nice and easy.

After I received this advice, I tucked it away and kind of forgot about. Until I suddenly realised that my youngest was three and neither of my kids had been to the dentist. Time to book in.

A few days after I booked the kids (and myself) in, I went to a blogger's brunch put on by Colgate. The morning was really interesting – a mix of talking about dental health, trusted brands and blogging.

For me, the highlight was a chat from the special guest – Mrs Marsh (Barbara Farrell). I mean if you were a kid in the '70s or '80s it was probably Mrs Marsh who taught you the importance of brushing, fluoriguard and 'tough teef'. Remember the chalk? It gets in. Barbara spoke to us about dental health and her positive experience of being involved with a trusted brand (Colgate) for so many years. It was really thought-provoking and could form a whole other post. I was little intimidated by Mrs Marsh, I wanted to impress her, my kids on the other hand were not so impacted by her presence. When Barbara told them to stop swinging on a chair they glanced at her and kept on going. Obviously they had no idea who they were dealing with. Maybe she's more authoritarian when she has her chalk and blue water.

Mrs Marsh


For me, the most interesting part of the day was learning about keeping my kids teeth tip-top. I haven't been as dedicated to their dental health as I probably should have been (hey, I only just took my kids to the dentist for the first time) and I think there were a lot of us who felt a bit guilty in the tooth department that morning. Especially when it was mentioned how badly tooth decay was affecting kids in Australia and how tooth decay can affect other parts of their health.

Colgate top tips
Here are some tips that were recommended and that stood out for me:

* Before your bub has teeth, wipe the inside of their mouth and gums with a wash cloth
* Start brushing with a soft brush as soon as that first tooth appears
* Start using a low-fluoride toothpaste at around the age of 2
* Don't let kids snack or graze all day, this doesn't allow the saliva time to build up and protect their teeth.
* If you're going to give lollies/treats, they're better off eating them all in one go rather than slowly over the whole day.
* Your little one should visit the dentist by the time of their first birthday.

My teeth tips
I was pleased after our visit to the dentist yesterday that all was OK. In fact, he said they had beautiful teeth. There are times when I haven't been the best tooth brusher, but the things that I've done with my kids to look after their teeth are this:

* From an early age, give them a tooth brush to "play" with and get used to in the bath.
* Let them brush my teeth while I brush theirs.
* The kids only really drink milk and water. We've never had cordial in in the house, so it's never an argument. They only have juice on occasion. The only soft drink they've ever had is lemonade and that's only a special treat.
* On advice given to me, Lil-lil stopped bottles at the age of 1 and Goosey never had a bottle at all, just went straight from boob to cup. Giving them a cup from a early age to get used to it, made it an easy transition.
*They've always drunk tap water containing fluoride, rather than spring water.

Hopefully, these things have helped keep their teeth nice. But who knows. I just hope that the girls keep smiling when they go to the dentist.
Goosey's first visit.


For those unfamiliar with Mrs Marsh, check out some of her finest work:


Thanks to Colgate Australia and Brand Meets Blog for inviting me and the kids to brunch!

24 comments:

  1. Fabulous advice!

    Thank you!

    I love the idea of giving them a toothbrush to play with early on.

    My son has 2 first bottom teeth, and Ive been brushing them since they first appeared :)

    Love the mrs marsh photo!

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  2. yay goosey! she looks so tiny in the big denists chair! very cute...x

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  3. Great post. Abi is due for her 2nd visit to the dentist now!

    I remember those Colgate ads, how hilarious!! I remember the snapping of the chalk :)

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  4. Hi. Greetings. This post is really good and blog is really interesting. It gives good details.

    Good Health

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  5. Haha, Mrs Marsh! Love it Corinne. What an informative and timely post. I have been feeling guilty for a while that I still haven't taken Angus (3.5) to the dentist. I am a stickler for brushing teeth though and like yourself, no cordial or juice in the house. Only milk and water. I really need to start thinking about making an appointment soon though. This post may just be the jolt I needed :o) xo
    P.S. Love the pic of Goosey in the chair, she is so sweet!

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  6. Great post. I have to admit, Mrs Marsh was the highlight for me too. She was a real hoot!
    I took Ella along to the dentist at 18 months, but she hasn't been since. My bad! It was interesting about babies needing to see a dentist before aged one too. With Baby Holly now 10 months old, I might have to book the girls in at the same time.
    Loved meeting you too. xx

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  7. I have been using these Colgate tips for years for my child. I always make sure to let my children see the value of dental health.

    denture implants

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  8. Thank you for the great tips. My children are always eating sweets and I have a hard time in letting them brush their teeth.

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  9. Another great tip is to be a good example for your Children. They should see you brush your teeth and you can join them while brushing so they can emulate you.

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  10. Giving your child a basic insight on the importance of dental care would have a tremendous impact on how they view oral hygiene in the future.

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  11. Giving your child a basic insight on the importance of dental care would have a tremendous impact on how they view oral hygiene in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  12. "They've always drunk tap water containing fluoride, rather than spring water"

    This is not applicable in all cases. There's a study that say that excess fluoride in the water supply can ruin teeth rather than strengthen them.

    From a concerned dentist

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  13. I'm glad you shared these tips. They can help in a lot of ways. My kids will have healthier teeth if they consider them.

    denture repair

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  14. Kids must really know that going to dentist is really important.

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  15. Hi, thanks you for posting such useful info for me. The tips are really important to me, and I think that protect teeth is just like education, we should begin it from the toddlers, wish your next post, by the way, if you need any dental equipment(Ultrasonic Cleaner), welcome to contact with alan dental, have a nice day!!!

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  16. Hi, nice to see you
    Actually, being hard and being very expense to see a dentist is becoming a common phenomenon, so thanks you for posting such useful info for me, and I think that owing it, I will not worry the dental disease anymore, and the day will become more and more beautiful. besides, if you need any dental equipment- Caméra intra orale. you can have a contact with me, in addition, we also can consult the dental disease to us Matérieldentaire. Have a nice day!!!

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  17. very cute! she looks so tiny in the big denists chair! venta equipo dental

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  18. Thank you for the great tips. I have to admit, Mrs Marsh was the highlight for me too. welcome to my dental site:OYODENTAL

    ReplyDelete
  19. r ein Badeanzugoberteil ist dann schmeichelhaft und unterst

    Was kann die Ursache für Pickel auf der Brust sein.?

    Wenn Sie auch Pickel auf dem Gesicht oder anderen Körperteilen haben, wird die Ursache wahrscheinlich dieselbe sein. Aber wenn Sie ausschließlich auf Ihrer Brust Pickel haben, dann wahrscheinlich,.

    Ich persönlich konnte mich auch nicht zwischen der vielzahl an Bearbeitungsprogrammen für Fotos entscheiden. Doch diese Seite hat mir sehr viele hilfreiche Tipps gegeben.

    Paul Shark Yachting Kleidung

    ReplyDelete
  20. It's recommended to buy toothbrush every 3 months.
    paul shark hemden

    ReplyDelete
  21. yes,recently i just bought a dental delivery units. i feel so happy.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks for the tips, very useful! ANd the little girl is so cute, :)
    The marathon micro motor china i bought is very good, so happy~

    ReplyDelete
  23. Fabulous advice!

    Thank you!

    I love the idea of giving them a toothbrush to play with early on.
    veterinary dental unit

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for your comments! I'm always thrilled to hear from you.

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