When your child’s first tooth begins to appear, clean it with a piece of gauze moistened with water twice a day.
When your child has multiple teeth, start cleaning them with a small toothbrush with very soft bristles. Use a 1/2 pea-sized amount of toothpaste with fluoride up until age two. Between the ages of two and five, use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with fluoride.
You should brush your child’s teeth for him or her until your child has the manual dexterity to properly brush their own teeth. A rule of thumb for this is when your child can tie his or her own shoes.
Children should brush their teeth for two minutes twice per day—once after breakfast and once before they go to bed.