Being a parent and worrying about your child is a full time job! Luckily, most cavities are preventable! Here are five tips to help your child develop a happy, healthy smile and put them on the road to good overall health.
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Being a parent and worrying about your child is a full time job! Luckily, most cavities are preventable! Here are five tips to help your child develop a happy, healthy smile and put them on the road to good overall health.
1. Appoint your child for a “Well Baby” dental exam. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that every child visit the dentist by the child’s first birthday. An infant’s first dental visit should be a pleasant, non-threatening introduction to dentistry which includes a brief but thorough oral examination and provides individualized prevention counseling to parents to help keep their child cavity free. This “well baby check” for the teeth can establish a dental home and helps ensure that the child’s oral health is delivered in a comprehensive, ongoing, coordinated and family centered way by the dentist. As the children grow their visits will become more clinical and progress to traditional “check-ups.” By starting at an early age your dentist can help prevent problems and teach good dental habits that will last a lifetime.
2. Prevent baby bottle, sippy cup and food pouch tooth decay. If your child relies on a bottle during bedtimes or at naps, make sure you use only water in the bottle. Never allow a baby or toddler to fall asleep with a bottle that contains milk (including breast milk), formula, fruit juices, or sweetened liquids. Even diluted drinks can be damaging. Bacteria in the mouth change the sugar in drinks and foods into acid that attacks the teeth. While the baby sleeps, the flow of saliva decreases. Harmful sugary liquids collect and remain around the teeth, inviting prolonged acids attacks. In the same way, if you offer a bottle, sippy cup or food pouches containing sugary contents many times a day or in a way that their use is prolonged, you increase the number of acid attacks and their duration. What is important is how often and for how long your child’s teeth are exposed to decay-producing acids.
3. Practice good cleansing habits. “Tooth” care starts before your baby has teeth. Beginning at birth wipe your baby’s gums with a damp, soft cloth, with spiffies xylitol toothwipes, or massage with a rubber finger brush after feedings and before bed. Begin brushing your child’s teeth with water on a child sized soft toothbrush as soon as the first tooth appears. Also, be aware that a mother’s good habits can significantly impact her child’s risk for tooth decay. Infants take on their first oral bacteria with the eruption of the primary dentition within a window from 6 months to 30 months. The bacteria are usually transferred from mother to infant. A healthy mouth will have less problem bacteria to transfer.
Most children will start a fluoride paste after 2 years and by 3 years of age. Help your child brush and be sure to use no more than a smear or rice size amou