8 Tips to Care for the Oral Health of Children

Baby teeth are important and not just because of the facial aesthetics of the child and to help them perform the basic functioning of chewing and talking. These also lay the foundation for the future teeth to emerge.

You should know that a baby is born with 20 teeth below the gums and they usually come between 6 months and a year. By the age of 3 years, most of the kids have a full set of teeth.

But your child’s teeth are threatened by decay as soon as they emerge which is around say 6 months of age. This type of tooth decay is often said to be baby bottle tooth decay. Usually, the upper frontal teeth get affected by this one mostly.

Other problem can also arise in the mouth of the baby because of teething. But the good news is that all the oral problems can be prevented if you can take proper care of your child’s oral health right from day 1.

Here is a guide to help you out.

Wipe Your Baby’s Gums – Initially after birth you should start by cleaning mouth and gums of the baby with a clean and moist washcloth or gauze or pad. Decay can occur as soon as the teeth appear around 6 months. However, in some babies the first tooth can make their appearance between 12-14 months.

Start Brushing Teeth Early – For those kids under the age of 3 years, caregivers or parents should brush the teeth of the child with a smear sized amount of toothpaste. You should brush the teeth thoroughly twice a day or as directed by the physician or dentist. You should also start cleaning between the teeth when their two teeth touch each other.

Continue to Brush Their Teeth Until They Learn – Until your child is comfortable and know the proper way, you should keep on brushing their teeth twice a day with a toothbrush that is child-sized and fluoride toothpaste (pea-sized amount). You should supervise the amount of toothpaste used by the kids for brushing when they start to brush by themselves.

Ensure they brush twice a day or as directed by the physician.

Follow the Right Technique of Brushing – Aggressively brushing forth and back can end up damaging the teeth and gums. You should tilt the bristles a bit towards the gums and then operate the brush in tiny circles making sure that it touches the surface of every tooth of the child.

Allot 30 seconds in every quadrant of the teeth. If your child has just a couple of teeth or is extremely fussy allotting 2 minutes for brushing can be a bit problematic. So try to go for at least a minute of brushing for your kid under such circumstances.

Flossing is Essential – As the flossing does away with the food particles and plaque, you should floss for your kid’s teeth starting at the age of 4 years. By the time they reach the age of 8 most of the kids are able to floss for themselves.

Stick to a Healthy Diet – A balanced diet is essential for the child to develop the decay-resistant and strong teeth. Added to the full range of minerals and vitamins, the child’s diet must include plenty of phosphorus, calcium and good amount of fluoride. That is why include as many apples, kales, spinach and other crunchy fruits and vegetables in their diet as possible. Also include calcium sources like milk, cheese, yoghurt for optimum levels of calcium.

You should also know that frequent snacking is the biggest enemy of the kid. So limit their intake of candies, cookies, pretzels, potato chips and chocolates that combine with the plaque for creating acids. These acids can attack the enamel of the teeth which may lead to cavities. You should try to limit the snacking between the meals as even a nibble can give rise to acids.

Go for Dental Sealants – If you want to create an efficient barrier against decay for your child’s teeth then go for dental sealants. These are plastic coating applied to the chewing surfaces of the kid’s rear permanent teeth where most of the cavities form. This procedure is not at all painful and can be done in just 1 visit to the dentist.

Go for Early and Regular Visits to the Dentist – You should take your kid to the most reputed dentist in Bushwick as soon as the child’s first tooth appears. You should also make sure that you visit the dentist at least twice a year after the first visit as well as when the need arises.

The dentist not only performs a thorough oral exam to detect any lurking condition in the mouth, but she also obtains the oral history and guides parents about how to go about thorough cleaning and caring for the mouth which include cavity prevention techniques.

You should take your kid to the most reputed dentists as soon as the child’s first tooth appears. Also make sure that you visit the dentist at least twice a year after the first visit as well as when the need arises.

The above are some of the things that you should keep in mind in order to take care of your child’s teeth in the best way possible.

Author Bio: Nitesh Ranjan is a digital marketing expert with keen interest on topics, trends and ideas related to brand promotion and advertising. He regularly shares information on the ways to market businesses across digital channels for better ROI, increased conversions and more sales. His blog can help anyone interested in boosting the online visibility in the digital world and eyeing access to a wider and bigger marketplace without spending big on marketing. Trust his digital marketing knowledge to enhance your brand’s presence on the internet.

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