What is a finger toothbrush for babies and how to use it correctly?

From this article you will learn:

  • When should you start brushing your baby's teeth under one year old?
  • how to brush children's teeth at one year, 2 years and later,
  • how to choose toothpaste for a child.

Baby teeth are very important for a child, because... they ensure jaw growth and also participate in the formation of correct pronunciation (diction). However, many parents make a number of mistakes that lead to early damage to baby teeth by caries, the subsequent development of pulpitis and periodontitis, and ultimately removal. At the same time, early removal of baby teeth causes disruption of jaw growth and delay in the eruption of permanent teeth.

Early caries of primary teeth is a consequence of - 1) insufficient oral hygiene in a child, which leads to the accumulation of soft plaque and an increase in the number of cariogenic bacteria, 2) improper diet, irregular feeding on demand or night feeding, 3) consumption of large quantities easily -digestible carbohydrates. There is even a term in dentistry - bottle caries, which shows the important connection between a child’s poor nutrition and the development of dental caries.

Caries of primary teeth in children -

Therefore, it is very important for parents to know when to start brushing their baby’s teeth, what toothpaste is best to use, and, in the future, how to teach their child to brush his teeth on his own when he reaches the appropriate age. Remember that soft flour and starchy foods (i.e., everything that contains easily digestible carbohydrates), sour and sweet juices, as well as soda - in conditions of insufficient hygiene quickly lead to the development of caries.

What it is?

Keep in mind! Dentists recommend that parents start caring for their teeth when they have little or no teeth.

Because it’s not only about cleaning, but also about teaching the baby a very important hygiene procedure . Therefore, it is very important that training is timely.

In addition, it is much easier to accustom a small child to a toothbrush at a time when he “tastes” everything and puts it in his mouth.
It is best for a small child to purchase a silicone massage brush , which will become his first toothbrush.
It is also called a fingertip. This is a transparent cap, at the end of which there is a large amount of short fibers and pimples made of silicone .

Its peculiarity is that before use the product must be placed on the index finger of an adult.

It is also allowed to be worn on the little finger.

For your information! Thanks to this simple thing, you can not only gently remove plaque from the baby’s first teeth, but also massage his gums, which is done due to the presence of villi and pimples.

Moreover, most kids like this procedure.

Parents
need to remember that the mouth of a small child must be regularly cleaned of food debris and microbial plaque.
In addition, milk teeth are a favorable and nutritious environment for fungal flora, as well as for the development of candidal stomatitis.

Many parents are also attracted by the low price of the product.

Very often a special case comes with it.

Note! If the child is 3-4 months old, then you can start using the finger brush.

This product has the following advantages :

  • hygienic care of the item is quite easy;
  • it contains absolutely no harmful substances ;
  • provides a massage effect ;
  • Since it is made of soft material, it is almost impossible to injure the child’s gums.

Stay up to date! In addition to its advantages, the brush also has disadvantages:

  • short service life . Very often, when little children start teething, they start to itch, so the baby can simply chew on the device;
  • The size of the silicone brush is more designed for women's fingers , but it may not fit on men's fingers;
  • It often happens that a child bites the brush , naturally, with a finger inside it, so parents need to be careful .

Description

Since the baby cannot independently perform hygiene procedures, this most important function falls on the shoulders of his parents. When choosing a silicone fingertip, consider the following points:

The accessory must be completely silicone, including the bristles. This will keep the baby healthy and not damage the soft tissues of the oral cavity. It is easier for the parent to control the force of pressure on the teeth and gums.

The presence of even slightly noticeable seams on the surface of the product is not allowed. There is a huge risk of various microorganisms and bacteria harmful to health appearing at these joints.

The fingertip must be equipped with a special case where the accessory will be stored.

How to choose a product?

First of all, you need to pay attention to the material. It should be durable , but at the same time soft , so that the brush does not scratch or injure the baby’s sensitive gums.

You should know! Nowadays brushes are made of silicone.

Choosing the right thing is not so difficult, because all models are almost the same. They may vary in color and the presence of additional accessories.

It is recommended to buy those brushes that are sold with the case.

In this case, over time, when the brush deteriorates, it will be possible to purchase a new one, but without the case, since it was left over from the previous one.

Thanks to the container, the transparent fingertip is unlikely to get lost.

In most cases, all brushes are the same size.

It is recommended to buy the product in specialized stores , and even better - in pharmacies .

If the item was sold without a case, then it will need to be stored in a separate open cup. In this case, the end of the brush with bristles should be located at the top and “breathe”.

Know! A finger brush is also better than a traditional one because it can be replaced as it wears out.

Peculiarities

Visiting the dentist from an early age helps avoid fear of dental treatment in the future.

Hygiene for children has such features.

  • The procedure is carried out quickly (the kids do not get tired).
  • Special brushes (with high speed) and pastes are used.
  • Remove soft and hard plaque, pigmented plaque, polish the enamel with special pastes;
  • After the procedure, the enamel is coated with a special agent (varnish or solution) to saturate the tooth with calcium, fluorine and phosphorus ions.

Recommendations for use

Since this silicone brush with many bristles is placed on your finger, you must thoroughly wash your hands with soap
before brushing your teeth Only after this can you put the toothbrush on your finger.

If brushing teeth is carried out with such a fingertip, then it is best to sit the child on his knees with his back to you.

To carry out the procedure, you need to carefully clean your teeth and gums from plaque with slow movements in different directions.

Remember! In no case should you skip hard-to-reach places, since these are where the largest number of bacteria are located.

The duration of cleaning should be about 4-5 minutes , especially if the child is 4-6 months old.

Thanks to the fact that the toothbrush cleans the child’s mouth from plaque and massages the gums when they are inflamed, the baby’s overall health improves.
You can use this device from 3 months to a year .
The procedure should be carried out several times a day. The best time is in the morning and before bed.

But you can brush your teeth after every meal, which will be even more effective.

Recommendations for successful of teeth with a brush-massager

  1. The child should be prohibited from playing with a toothbrush.
  2. If the child is under 2 years old, then it is better to carry out the procedure without toothpaste, simply moistening the brush in water.
  3. Massage your gums and clean your teeth from plaque using gentle movements.

Dr. Zubastik recommends

There is an opinion among parents that there is no need to brush baby teeth. What difference does it make whether they have caries or not? After all, they will fall out anyway.

Caries is an inflammatory process caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Infection through microcracks in the mucous membrane can enter the bloodstream and cause various pathologies - sinusitis, tonsillitis, tonsillitis, meningitis. Therefore, I recommend cleaning the baby’s mouth before the first teeth erupt. Thus, you will prevent the development of caries, periodontitis, chronic sinusitis, and tonsillitis.

Tags: fingertip, brushing teeth

About the author: Dr. Zubastik

Typically, a toothache begins to subside on the way to the clinic and finally goes away after 10 minutes of sitting in line to see the dentist.

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Proper care

Important! If you follow the rules of caring for your finger brush, it will last as long as possible. To do this you need:

  1. Wash the product with soap after each cleaning.
  2. Store the massage brush in a special case so that it is always clean. Before placing the product in a container, it must be dried.
  3. Avoid steam treatment of the brush , as well as boiling. This is explained by the fact that silicone is a synthetic compound in which there is virtually no growth of pathogenic microflora. In addition, due to the steam, the silicone will begin to deform, and this will lead to the fact that the brush will need to be thrown away.

Reference! If the brush has a case, then storing it will be much easier, since most often it has a special clip with which the product can be secured to various thin surfaces.

For example, for the strap of a bag or for a shelf in the bathroom.

On average, the service life of a fingertip is 2-3 months . If the brush is deformed or damaged, it must be replaced.

Pastes to relieve painful symptoms during teething

There are several toothpastes designed to reduce the pain associated with teething.

In addition to the paste indicated at the very beginning of the article, we can recommend:

  1. Gel paste “Weleda” (Weleda) with calendula;
  2. ROCS Baby (ROKS Baby) with chamomile extract.

Both products will help your baby cope with pain.

Finger brush from

This company has been operating since 1990.
It produces products for parents, with the help of which they raise and educate their children.

The company specializes in products without which normal child development is impossible..

Taking care of parents and children, wanting to provide them with comfort and time savings, the manufacturer designs products in such a way that they are as comfortable, reliable, and ergonomic as possible.

Parents also get involved in the process of creating products.

It is worth noting! The company is engaged in the production of safe products that are designed in accordance with current directives and standards of the European Union.

For example, toys undergo rigorous checks and tests before they hit store shelves.

Thanks to strict production control, the company guarantees the high quality of its products .

That is why the company is very popular among parents.

A silicone toothbrush from this manufacturer is sold together with a plastic case.

Thanks to this, the product is convenient to store and carry with you if necessary. Therefore, this is a significant advantage of this brush.

The length itself is 5 cm , it is made of high-quality and soft silicone .

Keep in mind! The fingertip does not have any specific smell or taste, so you can safely brush your child’s teeth with it.

On one side of the product there is a pimpled massage surface, which is a big plus for those children who are teething.

Consequences of poor oral hygiene in children -

Many parents either take their children's oral hygiene very lightly or consider the current level of hygiene to be good. But in the vast majority of cases this is self-deception. Insufficient hygiene primarily causes the accumulation of soft microbial plaque and tartar, which in turn leads to –

  • to the appearance of gingivitis in a child,
  • to tooth destruction by caries,
  • to the development of pulpitis and acute pain,
  • further - to the appearance of fistulas and purulent bumps on the gums in the child, which will require the mandatory removal of the causative milk teeth. We hope that our article: At what age should a child brush his teeth was useful to you!

Sources:

1. The author’s higher professional education in dentistry, 2. Based on 20 years of personal experience as a dentist, 3. The European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EU), 4. National Library of Medicine (USA), 5. “Pediatric therapeutic dentistry. National leadership" (Leontyev V.K.).

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