Dental Hygiene: How to Care for Your Child’s Teeth

 

You have to practice good dental hygiene even before your baby’s first tooth comes in. You should wipe your baby’s gums with a wet soft cloth after feeding to prevent bacteria buildup. You can use a soft toothbrush for babies starting when their teeth appear, twice a day.

Fluoride oral supplements or fluoride varnish will be prescribed by your doctor to protect primary baby teeth. Fluoride toothpaste can be used starting at 3 years old, twice a day.

Using Fluoride

Fluoride is one of the essential parts of good dental hygiene; it hardens tooth enamel, thus helps in making teeth strong. Make sure that you provide just adequate quantities of fluoride supplements and toothpaste, as it may actually be dangerous for kids to swallow them.

Cavities

Germs in your mouth consume sugars from the remaining food particles in your mouth and they can form holes in your teeth. These holes are called cavities. Cavities are commonly seen among kids, and good dental hygiene can prevent their formation.

Check If Your Kid Is At Risk for Cavities

If your kid consumes a lot of sugary foods like candy, cookies and soda, he or she might be at risk for tooth cavities. The other risk factors are listed below:

  • Was born prematurely or had low birth weight
  • Has been needing special health care currently
  • Has white or brown spots in any tooth
  • Does not visit the dentist very often

How to Prevent Cavities

You can avoid cavities by practicing good dental hygiene within the family. You have to brush kid’s teeth till they can do it well by themselves. Make sure that your family visits the dentist twice a year. When the kids reach preschool age, let your dentist demonstrate to them the right way to brush.

Diet and Dental Health

To keep teeth healthy, you should avoid sweets and sticky foods, as well as eating snacks in between meals. You can consume fresh fruits and vegetables instead. You should also be cautious about giving your child bottled drinks like milk or juice. As babies suck on milk bottles for hours, the sugars from milk present in their mouths can lead to tooth decay. This condition is referred to as bottle mouth. Do not put a baby to sleep with a milk bottle. Instead of milk bottles, let your kid use a drinking cup when he or she turns one year old.

Thumb Sucking

Thumb sucking is normal for children until the age of 4. Most kids will give up thumb sucking when left alone. If your kid is unable to give up this habit, consult your dentist. At the age of 6, permanent front teeth will grow, and you don’t have to worry about thumb sucking.

Visiting the Dentist

It is recommended that your kid should have checkups with the dentist starting at one year of age. This ensures that your dentist can find early issues with your kid’s teeth. Pediatric dentists will suggest the best practices on diet, tooth brushing, milk bottles and fluoride usage. Make it a habit to visit the dentist with your kid.

This piece of information could help you and your kid maintain good dental health. Healthy teeth and gums will create happy smiles!

 

-Medical Observer

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