05 Aug 2022 Dental care is not limited to children only. Your kids need dental care as well. For this reason, you need to make a dental care routine for your child to prevent dental problems. Some parents think that dental care begins after the first tooth is born. However, it is not so. Dental care should begin even before the first tooth comes out. Just because the teeth are not visible, does not mean that they do not exist. They do exist and you need to take care of your child’s teeth if you want to keep dental illness at bay. At the time of birth, a child has 20 teeth and some of these exist around the jawline.
Before the Teeth Come Out
Your job begins before the teeth come out and you should be careful about the dental care. Even before the baby’s teeth come out, dental illness-causing bacteria begin to gather around the gum. For this reason, you need to take care of the gum to make sure that your baby has healthy teeth. Cleaning your baby’s gum with a damp cloth will clear the bacteria which cause dental illness.
After the baby’s teeth come out, you need to incorporate toothbrushes into their lives. An infant toothbrush will be the best dental care gear that you can use to brush your child’s teeth. You can brush your child’s teeth with water and fluoride toothpaste. However, you need to take the toothpaste in a small quantity. It is important to brush the infant’s teeth with dentist-certified toothpaste only. You should check the authorized seal before using toothpaste to clean your baby’s teeth. In case, you have non-fluoride toothpaste, you should maintain the toothpaste quantity because you should reduce the chance of swallowing toothpaste.
After your baby teeth begin to touch, you can incorporate flossing slowly. You should use flossing after conferring with your baby’s dentist. Gathering information about the frequency of required flossing will help ensure that your child is getting the right dental care.
Your child should learn to spit the toothpaste out around the age of 2. However, giving them water to swish before spitting may cause them to swallow everything. Therefore, avoid water for the swish.
As your child grows a year older, you should increase the quantity of toothpaste. A child of age 3 can use pea-size toothpaste for brushing. The brushing should take place under parental guidance. You should continue to supervise your child’s brushing till they turn 8.
Baby Tooth Decay
If you think that tooth decay is for adults only, you are not right. Even babies can suffer from tooth decay. For this reason, you need to be careful about baby dental care. The worst habit to incorporate into your baby’s life is sleeping with a milk or juice bottle. Milk or juice sticks to teeth and eventually causes decay by taking off teeth enamel. Sleeping with a milk bottle causes bottle mouth which is a common dental problem among children. In case, bottle mouth occurs, you will notice that the front teeth of your child getting discolored or pitted. If you notice this, you should find a reputed dentist and get their opinion about your baby’s dental care.
The Right Time to Take Your Child to a Dentist
People invite dental problems by not taking their children to dental care clinics at the right age. The right time to take a child to a dentist is by their first birthday. Even if your child does not have any dental problems, you should take them to a dentist to know the proper dental care procedure. It will prepare you to create the right dental care routine for your child.
Regular visits to the dentist’s clinic help in detecting dental problems earlier. It also helps in getting dental care solutions when there is still time. Taking your child to dentists helps in reducing their fear of dental clinic visits. You must find a dentist with experience in dealing with children’s dental issues. The podiatrist dentists have the knowledge and training to treat children and address their dental issues. If required, they refer to other dentists as well to treat certain problems.
If a dentist finds that a child is exposed to the risk of a cavity or dental decay, they will prescribe fluoride application to prevent dental illness. Cavity even though a common problem can cause serious health issues. This dental problem causes pits and holes in teeth. This is the portal through which the virus enters and causes different types of health issues. Now, the question is – how to stop cavities among children.
The cavity is a result of excess sugary treats which cling to teeth and gum to cause a cavity. If you want to prevent cavities, you need to incorporate healthy habits into your children’s life.
Begin Good Oral Habit at an Early Stage
If you want to prevent cavities or tooth decay, you need to incorporate good oral habits. Ask your child to brush their teeth twice daily and floss after that. This habit will keep your child’s teeth healthy.
Use Enough Fluoride
Fluoride is an essential element that prevents tooth decay by toughening tooth enamel. Fluoride prevents acid from causing tooth decay. Some towns have fluoride in their tap water. However, this is not available everywhere. For this reason, you need to incorporate fluoride use into your child’s life.
Avoid Intake of Some Food
Food is the key cause of tooth decay. Sugary treats cling to teeth and eventually cause dental illness. Sugary juice, soda, and sugary treats are harmful to dental health. Sweet medicines are also harmful to oral health. Reduce intake of sugary food. In addition to this, you must make your child rinse their mouth after consuming sugary treats. Hard candies stick to teeth and cause tooth decay. For this reason, you need to make your child avoid taking hard candies.
Lastly, drinking water prevents the chance of tooth decay. Therefore, you need to encourage your child to drink more water. It will help increase the fluoride intake for better oral habits.