Many parents shy away from cleaning their babies’ tongues because they are afraid it will hurt or be difficult. But cleaning a baby’s tongue is important in addressing their oral problems.
While you still need to brush your baby’s teeth and ensure they eat healthy foods, tongue cleaning is an important first step in achieving good oral hygiene. Follow the tips below to ensure that everything is done with care and caution.
Common Mouth Problems in Babies
Oral Thrush
If you see white wounds in your baby’s mouth, there’s a high chance that it is oral thrush, a common fungal infection caused by oral candidiasis, which leaves white spots on the tongue, gums, and other parts of the mouth. It’s better to consult a doctor if you see one, since this infection can spread quickly. This can be avoided if your baby’s oral hygiene is well-attended.
Tooth Decay
Teething babies and toddlers need a lot of care to ensure their teeth are brushed well. If not, plaque can build up, and the children could develop tooth decay. Sugar can also damage your child’s teeth. Some plaque bacteria produce acids when your baby or toddler eats foods with high sugar content. These acids can erode their dental enamel and trigger cavities to form.
Fungal Infections
Infants need to brush their teeth at an early age. As soon as they have teeth, they should use a proper toothbrush and toothpaste to avoid potentially dangerous oral infections. In addition, letting milk residue stay in your baby’s mouth is bad because breast milk has a high sugar content, which can cause fungal infections in saliva.
How To Clean Your Baby’s Tongue Properly In 5-Minutes
Newborn
It’s common for parents are extra careful when interacting with a newborn baby. It’s because they’re extra sensitive and adjusting to the environment outside their mother’s womb. But tongue cleaning shouldn’t be as hard as it appears. Here’s a quick step-by-step process to guide you:
- Wash your hands properly. Make sure to follow the proper handwashing procedure.
- Place your baby on their back on your lap with one hand supporting the head.
- Soak gauze or cloth-covered finger with warm water.
- Place soft cloth or gauze into your baby’s tongue carefully, and then proceed to rub in a circular motion.
- Gently rub your fingers over the gums and inside the cheeks of their mouth to stimulate the production of saliva.
Note: Gently brushing your baby’s tongue twice a day is important in maintaining oral health. Using a soft brush with rounded bristles will make the job easy. Start by scrubbing the top and bottom of their tongue and front, back, and between their teeth.
Six Months and Older
You can start using a toothbrush when your baby is at least six months old. Teeth will usually start coming in around this time, so you should use toothpaste to brush them. As your baby learns tooth brushing, a finger brush should help clean their gums and tongue. Once they’re older and capable, a toothbrush alone will work.
If your baby is over six months old, a little amount of toothpaste should be enough when brushing. Once your baby reaches three years old, you can increase this to pea size.
If Your Baby Has Thrush
It’s sometimes hard to differentiate between a white coating on your baby’s tongue and thrush because of the similarity in appearance. Both have a white coating, but while you can easily remove milk residue, you can’t just wash off thrush.
The best way to treat thrush is through an antifungal medication. If the white coating doesn’t easily disappear, your child needs to be seen by their pediatrician.
Helpful Tips About Baby’s Oral Hygiene
When it comes to oral hygiene for your baby, there are a few helpful tips to keep in mind. First, always use a soft toothbrush for your baby’s sensitive gums. Second, rinse the toothbrush well after each use, even if your baby doesn’t swallow any of the toothpaste. Also, rinse your baby’s mouth with warm water before eating or drinking and also before brushing their teeth.
Encourage your child to drink plenty of water throughout the day since water helps rinse food and bacteria from the mouth. And finally, avoid giving your baby bottles with artificial sweeteners, which can increase their risk of developing cavities later in life.
When Should You Consider Seeing A Dentist?
Brushing and going on a tongue cleaner are not enough; it is important to see a pediatric dentist regularly. They can recognize issues before they become bigger problems and help educate parents on babies’ dental hygiene. It would be best for your child to have their first dental visit within six months after their first tooth comes out or when they turn a year old.
Dentists will examine your baby’s teeth, bite, and jaws and look for developmental disabilities that might affect their chewing and possible health issues in the future.
Are Baby Tongue Cleaners Worth The Money?
Using a baby tongue cleaner and toothbrush can be very helpful. If you have a newborn or young child, it’s important to keep their tongues clean, so they don’t develop problems with speech and dental hygiene. Tongue cleaners and toothbrushes work well at cleaning the inside of the baby’s mouth and reducing the amount of bacteria that can cause problems.
Ashtonbee’s Baby Tongue Cleaner
Ashtonbee’s Tongue Cleaner is an effective tool for maintaining the cleanliness of your baby’s tongue every day. It helps eliminate bacteria that might come from the decaying left-over foods in your baby’s mouth. It has a wider base and rubber pads, making it more convenient to hold and use.
Ashtonbee’s Baby Toothbrush/Oral Massager
Ashtonbee’s toothbrush also works as an oral massager, which can help your baby’s oral hygiene without hurting their gums. It has a double-sided design, with a soft brush feature on one side and sensitive massage bumps on the other. It’s made of silicone to avoid damaging your baby’s gums.
Take Care Of Their Health While They’re Young
Everything that you do for your baby’s health will have long-term effects on their overall health when they grow up, and that includes oral health.
Cleaning a baby’s tongue is a task that requires effort, and with proper preparation, it can be done easily. There are tools and accessories that can help you take care of your baby’s oral health, such as the baby tongue cleaner and baby toothbrush. You can also check our store for more essential items for babies.
