How To Care For Your Child’s Teeth

How To Care For Your Child’s Teeth

A lot of parents aren’t sure how much dental care their children need, although they know that oral care is an important part of keeping the family healthy. Here are some top tips to help you. 

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When Should Kids Start Brushing Their Teeth?

Dental care should start before your baby has teeth. Teeth begin to form in the second trimester of pregnancy. At birth, your baby already has some teeth fully developed in their jaw. 

Here’s how and when to care for them:

• Before your baby starts teething, use a clean, damp washcloth on their gums to clean away bacteria.
• When your baby has their first time, brush with an infant toothbrush. Use water and a small amount of fluoride toothpaste or baby toothpaste. Use an amount about the size of a grain of rice, to prevent too much toothpaste from being swallowed. 
• When your baby has teeth that touch, you can start to floss between them.
• At about two years old, teach your child to spit while brushing. Don’t show them to swill with water and then spit, as they are more likely to swallow toothpaste. 
• Always supervise children under the age of 8 when they brush, and make sure they don’t swallow their toothpaste.

Remember that even babies can experience tooth decay. Sugars from milk, formula, or juice can stay on your baby’s teeth for a long time and can eat away at the enamel, causing cavities. Putting a baby to sleep with a bottle can also cause tooth damage. This causes the front teeth to become discolored, pocked, and pitted, from the sugars in the drink in the bottle. 

At six months old, your baby can swap from a bottle to a sippy cup, with a hard spout or a straw. This helps to stop liquid from pooling around their teeth. By a year old, they should be able to use a cup on their own. 

When Should Kids See A Dentist?

Children should start seeing a dentist by the time they’re a year old, such as Lakeland Family Dentistry. At their first visit, your dentist can talk you through proper brushing and flossing techniques for young children, and check their teeth. 

These visits can catch any potential issues your child has early and help your children to get used to going to the dentist, so they don’t find it frightening as they grow up. It can help to take your child to a dentist who specializes in working with kids. They will also know if your child should be referred to an orthodontist or other dental specialist. 

If your dentist thinks that your child is at high risk for cavities or other problems with their teeth, then they might suggest starting to apply some topical fluoride to their teeth and gums even before the child’s teeth have all come in. Fluoride helps to harden the tooth enamel, which works to ward off dental cavities, one of the most common oral diseases in children.

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