# Brushing Baby's First Teeth: How Much Toothpaste and Preventing Cavities

> How to brush baby teeth from the first tooth, how much fluoride toothpaste to use, and simple ways to prevent cavities.

Stage: baby - Topic: Everyday care - Page: https://www.askcladle.com/guides/baby/baby-first-teeth-and-brushing

Grounded in: AAP HealthyChildren guidance on baby teeth, fluoride and oral health, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommendations, CDC guidance on fluoride and community water, and the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation on fluoride varnish. Summarized in Cradle's own words; none of these sources endorse Cradle. General information, not medical advice.

Reviewed: 2026-11

## TLDR

- Brush twice a day from the first tooth with a soft brush and a rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste; a pea-size amount at 3.
- No bottle in bed, no juice before 1, and limit all-day sipping and snacking.
- First dental visit by the first birthday or within 6 months of the first tooth.

## Before teeth

- Wiping the gums with a clean, damp washcloth once a day, especially after the last feed, gets
  your baby used to mouth care. It's optional but helpful.
- Most first teeth arrive around 6 months, with a wide normal range. See the teething guide for
  timing and soothing.

## From the first tooth

- **Brush twice a day:** once in the morning and, most importantly, the last thing before bed.
- **Use fluoride toothpaste** in a smear the size of a grain of rice. This small amount is safe
  even if swallowed, and it's the most effective way to prevent cavities. Move to a pea-sized
  amount at age 3.
- **Use a soft, small-headed baby toothbrush.** Replace it every 3 to 4 months or when the
  bristles splay.
- No need to rinse with water after brushing; leaving a little fluoride on the teeth helps.

## How to brush a wriggly baby

1. **Pick a position you can see from.** Baby on your lap facing up, head against your chest or
   cradled in your arm. Two adults can sit knee to knee with the baby lying across both laps.
2. **Lift the lip** gently to see the front teeth and gumline.
3. **Small circles** along the gumline, front and back of each tooth, about two minutes total
   once there are several teeth.
4. **Make it a routine,** at the same point in the bedtime routine each night, with a song.
5. **Let them hold a second brush,** or take a turn after you. Many babies chew the brush; that's
   fine, but an adult does the real brushing until about age 7 or 8.

## Preventing cavities

- **No bottle in bed.** Milk or formula pooling on teeth overnight is a major cause of early decay.
  Brush after the last feed when you can. If your baby still feeds at night, that's normal;
  wiping or brushing in the morning still helps.
- **No juice before age 1,** and only water or milk in bottles and cups. Offer water in an open or
  straw cup from about 6 months with meals.
- **Limit grazing.** Sipping or snacking all day keeps teeth bathed in sugar.
- **Germs spread by mouth.** Clean pacifiers with water rather than in your own mouth, and try not
  to share spoons. Caring for your own teeth helps too.
- **Fluoride varnish:** the pediatrician or dentist can paint it on the teeth every few months
  from the first tooth. It's quick and painless.
- **Water:** if your tap water is fluoridated, it helps protect teeth. With well water or
  unfluoridated water, ask the dentist or pediatrician what they recommend.

## The first dental visit

- By the first birthday, or within about 6 months of the first tooth, whichever comes first. See
  the toddler teeth and first dentist guide for what happens there.

## When to check in

- Mention it at the next checkup or dental visit if you see white chalky lines or brown spots near
  the gumline, a chipped or dark tooth after a fall, or no teeth at all by about 18 months.
- Bring up swelling of the gum or face, or a baby in obvious tooth pain, promptly.