Parents must prioritize dental health for infants as soon as they arrive home from the hospital, because infants come equipped with 20 primary teeth that lie dormant beneath their gums.
Start a daily habit of cleaning your baby’s gums with a washcloth or gauze pad before and after feedings to ensure healthy gums.
Baby’s Dental Health: Brushing
Even though baby teeth have not yet emerged, it is still essential to clean infant gums using a washcloth daily in order to keep harmful bacteria at bay while the teeth form. When their first tooth emerges, use an infant toothbrush with fluoride toothpaste (the size of a grain of rice) twice daily for brushing purposes.
Parents must establish a comprehensive oral hygiene routine in order to help their child maintain healthy teeth and gums. Brushing twice a day for two minutes and flossing once daily are all integral parts of this regimen, in addition to restricting sugary beverages and foods and supporting a balanced diet.
An informal poll among parents revealed no single factor as being most prevalent when it came to brushing baby teeth: however, some reasons could include advice from dental or medical professionals, peer pressure, wanting to develop good habits, or trying to prevent tooth decay.
MDH utilizes motivational interviewing techniques and easy-to-grasp educational materials to inform new and expecting parents and caregivers of children up to age three about early childhood dental disease in our communities. Community organizations as well as healthcare providers such as nurses and physicians play a significant role in this program by helping reduce cases and impacts associated with early childhood dental disease.
Baby’s Dental Health: Flossing
An essential component of dental health, flossing is an integral component. By clearing away bacteria from tight spaces between the teeth and gum line where a toothbrush cannot reach, flossing is crucial in keeping our oral cavities healthy. Infants in particular are at an increased risk for tooth decay from milk and sugar entering their bodies daily, so regular flossing sessions with them are especially necessary to protect their development.
As baby teeth come in, they are often surrounded by red gums and flushed cheeks, leading to increased infection due to an impaired immune system. Brushing their teeth daily and using mouthwash twice daily can reduce their chances of infection significantly.
Before the appearance of their first tooth, it is also crucial that parents start cleaning their baby’s gums with a soft washcloth or gauze pad to eliminate sticky residue that clings to their gums after every feeding and creates an environment where bacteria can cause tooth decay. Wiping their gums gently after each meal can remove this sticky build-up while simultaneously protecting their infant from developing tooth decay.
Once their first tooth erupts, use an infant toothbrush with soft bristles and a rice-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste to gently brush their teeth and gum line twice each day – once before bed and once in the morning. For optimal oral health and protection it is advisable that infants visit a dentist within six months after seeing their initial tooth come through.
Baby’s Dental Health: Routine Dental Visits
At around six months of age, your infant should visit a pediatric dentist. Although some parents may view this visit as being of low priority, early exposure to dentist visits will help build healthy teeth and gums as they grow up. A dental clinic will play an essential part in helping develop healthy smiles among infants.
Routine dental visits allow dentists to detect early symptoms of tooth decay, gum disease or jaw misalignment that might otherwise lead to discomfort or other medical concerns for children. Healthy teeth will also allow your child to chew food properly and speak clearly while providing essential support for cheeks and jaw.
Your infant’s dentist will demonstrate and instruct him/her in proper dental practices such as brushing their teeth correctly and flossing, offering diet advice, fluoride use tips, and any necessary oral hygiene recommendations – not only enhancing current oral health but also helping prevent future dental issues.
Make visiting the dentist an enjoyable experience for your child by reading books like The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist, Show Me Your Smile, or Elmo Visits the Dentist to prepare them.
Baby’s Dental Health: Sugar
Though sugar itself does not cause tooth decay, its consumption fuels the proliferation of bacteria which cling to teeth and lead to infections. Babies are especially prone to bacteria infections because they have thinner enamel and weaker gums; infections from harmful bacteria may lead to permanent consequences including pain, infection, difficulty eating, speaking, or learning.
Parents should strive to limit infection by not sharing food, utensils and kisses with baby, nor using your mouth to clean pacifiers and bottles as this practice spreads cavity-causing Streptococcus mutans bacteria that could spread via saliva or directly.
Parents should start taking care in protecting their child’s teeth as soon as they’re born. Wipe their gums with a washcloth after every feeding and bedtime; start brushing when their first tooth erupts (the American Dental Association recommends starting when age 3); brush each side and under their gum line thoroughly – encouraging water consumption as well as eating plenty of whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables while encouraging visitations by their pediatric dentist by their first birthday or six months after first tooth appearance.
