Children love chocolate and candies; as a result, they develop a sweet tooth – causing tooth decay and other oral hygiene issues such as swelling, sensitivity to certain foods, and pain around the affected area. Tooth decay is the destruction of tooth enamel – it can lead to cavities and even mouth cancer. This usually happens when parents fail to set two-times-a-day teeth to brush routine.
According to studies, approximately 60% to 90% of children suffer from oral hygiene issues, so parents must take care of their child’s teeth by establishing a routine that will not only keep them orally healthy but affect their behavior positively as they grow up. Cavities caused by poor oral hygiene can have an adverse effect on the child, and the pain can be unbearable for such little souls. If your child feels slight pain in their teeth, blood oozing from the gums, or having pain while chewing, immediately visit your nearby dentist.
Parents wait for the first teeth to appear but are unaware that their baby develops teeth in the second half of pregnancy and has 20 primary teeth, some of which get fully formed in their jaw by the time they are born. As a result, it gets recommended that you begin caring for your child’s oral hygiene as soon as possible in order to prevent tooth decay in your baby. Till the age of 8, you should help your child while they brush.
Follow these simple steps to keep your baby’s teeth safe from decay.
Start with Taking Care of the Gums
Do not wait for the first teeth to pop up; start right away with taking care of the gums. However, that means no involvement of a toothbrush. Instead, take a soft washcloth and gently wipe the baby’s teeth twice a day, particularly after feeding and before bedtime. That will remove bacteria, which may leave plaque on the baby’s teeth.
Brush Your Baby’s Teeth Twice a Day
Most doctors recommend waiting until at least two to four teeth in a row appear, while others suggest waiting until your child is two years old. If the teeth start coming out, it is time to use a toothbrush.
- Wet the brush to soften it
- Apply a rice-sized toothpaste
- Softly and slowly brush the teeth and make sure to make them spit it out
Begin using pea-sized toothpaste on your child’s brush when they turn three years old. It is best to replace the toothbrush every 3-4 months.
If you are helping your child brush or if they are doing it themselves, make sure to do it for 2 minutes.
Using the same brush for an extended period of time can cause it to lose its effectiveness, failing to reach all areas of the mouth and allowing bacteria to remain.
Flossing
“Flossing will wipe away all the plaque between the teeth, making a person orally healthy. For babies, start flossing when a set of teeth gets made. Floss the child’s teeth before bedtime with sticks or picks rather than floss string”, says Winter Family Dental, a dentist in Arvada.
Take Care in What Goes in the Baby’s Bottle
Breast milk is a safe option. However, when feeding the baby, avoid putting anything sugary in the bottle to protect the baby’s teeth from cavities. Fill the bottle with baby formula and water only. Don’t give them fruit juice or any sugary drink, as this can be another factor that could lead to baby tooth decay.
When feeding, remove the bottle the moment the baby falls asleep. Failure in doing that can produce bacteria caused by the acid. Furthermore, after feeding, always clean the baby’s teeth.
Nutrients
When your baby is old enough to walk, talk, and has grown a set of teeth, begin feeding them nutrients fruits mixed in a way that will help prevent tooth decay.
Conclusion
Poor oral hygiene routine of children can develop tooth decay at a very early stage. Make sure your child limit snacks that are high in sugar like cookies, candies, chocolates, and cake.
All these steps help prevent tooth decay in your baby. Start to take care of their teeth at an early stage; this will stop any future visit to the dentist, and your baby will have a happy and pain-free life.
If you need further information on how you can take care of your baby’s teeth, you can check this dentist out in Shrewsbury MA, or one near you.
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Photo by IIONA VIRGIN on Unsplash
