Dental Care Tips for Baby Teeth

Good dental hygiene should start at a very young age because it plays an important role in a child's future dental health. Hence, this dental hygiene regime should start before a baby turns one year of age. When parents inculcate brushing and flossing at a young age, they are facilitating for the child a habit of healthy teeth and gums.

One may think that since baby teeth fall out before the permanent teeth, that no care should be taken with baby teeth, however this is far from the truth. According to Beverly Largent, DMD, baby teeth sets the foundation for permanent teeth. This is because of the fact that when baby teeth are not correctly taken care of, the same bacteria organisms that affected the baby teeth will continue to attack the new permanent teeth. If proper dental hygiene is followed, then the dental problems will be diminished greatly. The following steps should be taken to guarantee a routine of healthy dental hygiene for your child.

One of the early steps that can be taken for the care of baby teeth is cleaning a newborn's mouth every day. A parent should clean their newborn's mouth with a gauze or soft cloth to prevent the accumulation of bacteria. In doing so, the parent will be preparing the newborn for a daily habit of mouth cleaning. The earlier this step is performed on a newborn, the easier it will be for the babies to get accustomed to mouth cleaning and reduce tantrums at a later age.

Healthy dental hygiene also involves brushing teeth as soon as the first tooth starts to surface. As soon as the tooth starts to appear out of the gum line, a parent should brush their child's teeth with a soft bristle toothbrush in a circular motion between the teeth and the gum line. A parent should not use regular toothpaste when brushing their young baby's mouth. Instead, they should use toothpaste without fluoride until the child reaches the age 3 as at this age a child can spit properly.

In addition to the habits discussed, a baby should visit their dentist at age 1. The significance of visiting the dentist at this early age is as a result of the presence of tooth decay behind the baby's teeth. Generally, babies should visit their dentist when teeth start to become visible. The rule of thumb is generally the eight-tooth rule which means four teeth at the top and four teeth at the bottom. This can occur at 12 months of age, or it can occur later on at 18 months. The sooner the baby's mouth is cleaned periodically, the less distress and fear they will experience when visiting their dentist.

Our Pediatric dentists at Upland Dental Practice provide your children with the dental care and treatments they need in order to preserve healthy and beautiful teeth. Our Fontana pediatric dentist is well-versed in various dental treatments and how to put the kids at ease.