How to care for your infant’s oral health?
Some of the most important questions I get asked in my children’s dental clinic are:
Really? I need to clean my child’s mouth so early?! Why is taking care for your infant’s oral health important?
How can I care for my child infant’s oral health?
When should I start giving my child oral care?
How to care for my child’s gums and emerging teeth?
Do I need to clean my child’s gums before his teeth come in?
Keep on reading…
Who said we need teeth to start oral health; whether your child has teeth or doesn’t, it is important to care for your child’s teeth and your infant’s oral health from birth and during his first few months!
You heard that right: from birth or first month of life! That’s when you should clean your infant’s mouth!
Believe it or not, the first few months of life dictate the scene for your baby to have healthy mouth or not! It is actually the time where bacteria first sets foot in a mouth!
Needless to say, healthy teeth are important to your child’s overall health. They help your baby chew, eat, form sounds, speak and smile. They also affect the way your baby’s jaw grows.
My advice that your baby’s oral health should always be a major priority because with good oral care, their teeth remain healthy for decades to come.
Practicing healthy habits can prevent or reduce tooth decay (cavities) in infants and children, and make your baby grows. On the other hand, poor oral care can lead to infection, disease, or other teeth problems.
Here are 4 simple steps for caring for your babies’ mouth for a future healthy smile:
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Care for Your Child’s Gums:
Even your child still doesn’t have teeth, it’s still important to care for his gums, simply you have to:
- Use a soft cloth moistened with warm water.
- Wrap it around your fingers.
- And gently massage your child’s gums.
Preferably do this after every feeding, as this removes any leftover formula or milk and prevents bacteria buildup, if you don’t, you’ll let a harmful bacteria which will damage your child teeth as they begin to emerge. If the bacteria remain in your child’s mouth, his risk for developing decay increases!
Watch this video to know more about the topic:
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Care for Your Child’s Teeth:
Between 3 months to 3 years, your child teeth will start teething, according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentist (AAPD), this is when your child should start brushing and flossing as main part of their daily oral health care routine.
Brush the first tooth with a baby brush- a soft bristled brush. The best advice is to stop using the finger silicone brush when your child’s first milk tooth makes an entrance. Teeth need to be brushed with a baby brush. A baby sonic brush is a great asset in cleaning well and getting the child used to babies dental care and health.
You can read more from these blogs:
- Teething: All you need to know!
- Why Should My child floss? All you need to know!
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Visit a Pediatric Dentist:
your child should be seen by a pediatric dentist, according to the AAPD, recommend that you should take your child to the pediatric dentist within six months after her first tooth erupts, or by his first birthday, whichever is earlier.
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Be wary of the Sugar attack:
Sugar and bacteria are such a lethal mix for baby’s teeth. If your child’s teeth are getting darker or have a black color, be careful and read on.
Here is the advice:
- Avoid giving your child a bottle filled with juice at naptime, because this can cause tooth decay.
- If your baby won’t fall asleep without a bottle, better to replace it with water to avoid any dental problems.
- Try to Decrease your child’s sugar consumption, particularly between meals, because sugar feeds bacteria that can damage your child’s teeth.
- Be sure to clean your child’s gums and teeth after the consumption of formula or breast milk as they both contain sugar naturally occurring in milk.
- Avoid put anything sweet on your child’s binky to encourage to use it.
Early Oral Health gives your child the best beautiful smile he/ she deserves and needs.
Baby teeth are functionally important during childhood and also serve a critical role as future place for permanent teeth. By giving them care and attention from the very beginning, you can strengthen oral health and develop a great foundation for a bright, charming future smile.
So don’t delay your child his first Pediatric dentist visit, at our pediatric dentistry clinic in Dubai health care city you can schedule an appointment, we will be happy to give you your child the best dental care.
“To a lifetime of healthy happy smiles!”
