Keeping Your Children’s Teeth Healthy
The best way to keep your children’s teeth healthy is to begin dental care early in life. Teaching good habits of brushing and flossing of their teeth early in life keeps teeth healthy. Healthy teeth help your children chew and enjoy food and create healthy smiles that can last a lifetime.
Dental Care Early in Life
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends parents take children to a dentist no later than their first birthday. Parents can start to provide dental care for their babies and toddlers at home.
· Begin cleaning the baby’s mouth during the first few days after birth by wiping the gums with a clean soft cloth;
· Continue to clean baby’s mouth at least once a day with a clean soft cloth. This should become a regular habit.
· Baby’s front teeth erupt at about 6 months of age;
· Teething babies may be fussy, drool, and want to chew. If you want to let your child chew on a teething ring, go for one that is hard and solid.
Tooth Brushing
· The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends using a “smear of fluoride toothpaste twice a day when the first tooth appears and until age 3. Once the child has turned 3, a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste can be used.
· Floss daily when baby teeth touch each other;
· Caregivers need to brush younger children’s teeth for them;
· Older children may be able to brush on their own, but watch to make sure they use the right amount of toothpaste and spit out excess to avoid swallowing it.
Cavities
Babies and toddlers go to sleep with a bottle containing milk, breast milk, or fruit juices are more susceptible to having cavities. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests avoiding juice for the first year.
Some of things to do and reduce your child’s risk of cavities:
· Do not put the baby to bed with a bottle of juice or milk;
· Do not dip the baby’s pacifier in sugary liquids;
· Clean the baby’s teeth and gums with a damp cloth or a soft toothbrush after each feeding;
· Take the baby to the dentist as soon as the first tooth comes in or no later than the first birthday;
· Make sure the baby is getting the right amount of fluoride.
Fluoride
· Fluoride is a natural mineral that keeps the outside layer of teeth strong. Fluoride can slow or stop cavities from forming.
· The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends using a “smear of fluoride toothpaste twice a day when the first tooth appears and until age 3. Once the child has turned 3, a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste can be used.
Visit the dentist
It is important to take your child to see the dentist sometime after the first tooth comes in but before his or her first birthday.
The dentist helps to keep your child’s teeth healthy:
· Perform an oral examination;
· Assess your child’s risk of tooth decay;
· Check to see that the teeth are developing on schedule;
· Identify any habits like thumb sucking or pacifier use may be affecting your child’s oral development.
Dr. Anna Lee is a General & Cosmetic dentist in Glendora, CA. She is experienced in all phases of dentistry. She treats patients of all ages. If you have any questions about your children’s oral health, call our office for a consultation at 626-335-5114 or visit us at www.annaleedds.com