Children’s Dental Health Month: Tips For Your Kiddos
Your child’s baby teeth are vulnerable to decay from the time they first develop, which is usually around the age of six months. Baby Bottle Tooth Decay is a term used to describe tooth decay in newborns and toddlers. It most often affects the top front teeth. However, it may also affect other teeth, states Easton PA dentist. In certain circumstances, babies’ and toddlers’ teeth become so decayed that they cannot be salvaged and must be extracted by emergency dentist Easton PA. Continue reading today’s article to learn all about Children’s Dental Health Month and oral health tips for your kiddos.
Dental Tips For Your Children
It’s excellent news: tooth decay can be avoided! By the age of three, most children have a complete set of 20 baby teeth. In addition, your child’s jaws will expand as they develop, providing a way for their permanent teeth.
Keeping Your Child’s Teeth Clean
During the first few days after delivery, begin cleaning your baby’s mouth by wiping the gums with a clean, wet gauze pad or washcloth. Decay may start as soon as teeth emerge, explains family dentist Easton PA. The first four teeth of a newborn usually break through the gums around six months, while some infants do not receive their first tooth until they are twelve or fourteen months old.
Brush your child’s teeth twice a day using a child-size toothbrush and a pea-sized quantity of fluoride toothpaste until you’re confident that he or she can brush on their own. It would help if you started cleaning between your child’s teeth when they have two teeth that contact.
Caregivers should begin brushing children’s teeth as soon as they come into the mouth with fluoride toothpaste in a smear or the size of a grain of rice for children less than three years. Brush your teeth thoroughly twice a day (morning and night) or as your dentist or doctor advised. Observe your children’s brushing to ensure they’re using the right quantity of toothpaste.
Use a pea-sized quantity of fluoride toothpaste for children aged 3 to 6. Brush your teeth thoroughly twice a day (morning and night) or as your dentist or doctor advised. Keep an eye on your kids when they brush their teeth and tell them not to swallow the toothpaste.
Teething
Teething is one of life’s first rituals. Despite the fact that babies normally have no visible teeth, most infant teeth emerge about six months after birth. All 20 baby teeth will push through the gums throughout the first few years of your child’s life, and most youngsters will have their complete set of teeth in place by the age of three. The first four teeth of a newborn normally erupt or push through the gums around six months, while some infants don’t receive their first tooth until they are 12 or 14 months old. Some newborns may become restless, sleepless, and irritable when their teeth emerge, appetite lose or drool more than expected as their teeth erupt. Diarrhea, rashes, and a fever are not typical teething symptoms. Call your doctor if your child gets a fever or diarrhea during teething or if they continue to be fussy and uncomfortable.
First Dental Appointment
It’s crucial to arrange a dentist checkup with dentist Wilson PA as soon as your child’s first tooth develops. The American Dental Association advises that a child’s first dental appointment occur within six months after the first tooth’s appearance, but no later than their first birthday. Don’t wait until they start school or until there’s a crisis to intervene. Make your youngster feel at ease with appropriate oral hygiene practices now.
Although the dentist, like our friend Dr. Eastham, the best dentist in Grand Junction CO, will inspect your kid’s mouth and evaluate growth and development during the first appointment, it is equally essential for your youngster to feel at ease. To make the visit more enjoyable:
-Make an appointment in the morning when the kids are most refreshed and agreeable.
-Keep your worries and anxieties to yourself. Children may sense your moods, so focus on the positive.
-Never use a dentist appointment as a threat or punishment.
-Never offer your youngster a bribe.
-Discuss the importance of seeing the dentist with your kid.
-During this appointment, the dentist will:
Examine your mouth for any injuries, cavities, or other issues. If your kid is in danger of dental decay, we’ll let you know. Next, clean your child’s teeth and advise them on how to care for them regularly. Discuss teething, pacifier usage, and thumb/finger sucking. If treatment is required, discuss it with your doctor and make an appointment for your next checkup.
Fluoride
Fluoride is a mineral found in all bodies of water, including oceans, rivers, and lakes. Some communal tap water, toothpaste, and mouth rinses include fluoride. Fluoride helps make tooth enamel more resistant to decay. Therefore infants and toddlers who do not get enough of it may be at a higher risk for tooth decay. It also aids in the restoration of weakened enamel. Because bottled water may not contain fluoride, children who consume bottled water or unfluoridated tap water daily may be losing out on fluoride’s advantages. If you’re unsure whether or not your tap water contains fluoride, contact your local or state health agency or water provider.
Consult your dentist or pediatrician about your child’s fluoride requirements. If you reside in an area where the community water is not fluoridated, they may suggest a fluoride supplement.
Pacifiers
Sucking on thumbs, other fingers, or pacifiers is common among infants and young children. Pacifiers may cause tooth decay dipped in sugar, honey, juice, or sweetened liquids. Cavity-causing germs may also transfer from a mother’s or caregiver’s mouth to the infant, causing tooth decay. The germs may be transferred to the infant if the mother or caregiver puts the baby’s feeding spoon in her mouth or cleans a pacifier in her mouth.
Keep Your Child’s Smile Healthy All Year Round
Need to schedule your child’s next dental appointment? We’re here to help them maintain optimal oral health all year round. Contact our office today and we can discuss more Children’s Dental Health Month: Tips For Your Kiddos.