How to Care for Baby Teeth

Caring for Baby Teeth

Caring for baby teeth entails diligence, discipline, expert monitoring and even a little creativity. If you’re a parent and you’ve started taking serious care of your kids’ teeth from the time that they were babies, then you already have a head start on protecting your little ones from various oral health conditions and problems.

Here are a few more helpful tips on how to care for baby teeth:

Good dental hygiene starts even before your baby’s first tooth appears. Make it a habit to wipe their gums with a soft, damp cloth after every feeding to clean off excess milk and food. Then, when the first tooth erupts, take good care of it as well, even if you know that it’s not permanent. The condition, position and growth of baby teeth will affect the gums and the growth of permanent teeth.

If your child is bottle-feeding, be vigilant about taking the bottle away after every feeding. Leaving the bottle with your infant (often to pacify or comfort the child) is one of the most common causes of cavities among babies. The same can be said for nursing. When babies fall asleep nursing they are also susceptible to tooth decay.

Start training your kids to brush their teeth regularly by age 2.

Teach them the right strokes that ensure food particles are dislodged and removed from the teeth crevices. Provide them with a soft-bristled brush in a size appropriate for their age. Use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste for each brushing. If the water in your community isn’t treated with fluoride, ask your dentist about using fluoride toothpaste or supplements. Making the lessons fun and engaging will help your kids ease into their brushing and flossing routine smoothly.

Healthy food makes for healthy teeth

Certain types of food should be avoided if you want your kids’ teeth to remain strong, healthy and beautiful for the years to come. Sugary and starchy treats contain ingredients that encourage plaque build-up, causing tooth enamel to break down and for teeth to be susceptible to cavities. Candies, cookies and artificially sweetened drinks should be avoided, if not completely eliminated from your diet.

Take your children for their first dental visit when they reach 1 to 3 years of age. Choose a family dentist carefully. You want a dentist who is not only highly competent but also knows how to work with kids and offers a calm, relaxing atmosphere for patients. Your choice of a dentist will greatly influence your family’s experience and expectations about professional dental care, so it pays to choose a potential dentist carefully. Consider talking to them about their philosophy, and pay a visit to your Pediatric Dentist prior to the appointment, if possible.

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