Brushing Your Toddler’s Teeth

Start brushing as soon as the first tooth appears, twice a day. The ADA is specific on amount: use just a smear of fluoride toothpaste (about the size of a grain of rice) for children under 3, moving up to a pea-sized amount from age 3 to 6. Supervise brushing until your child can reliably spit rather than swallow, usually around age 7–8.