Dental care is an important factor in your child’s overall health. From the minute your baby’s first tooth starts to form, it is your responsibility to ensure that his or her teeth are well taken care of. Knowing the right dental care practices is essential for the proper development of your child’s teeth.
Your child’s dental care should start during your pregnancy, particularly in the second trimester. Your baby will already have around 20 primary teeth at birth, although these have yet to come out of hiding (from inside the jaw). As such, your dental care for kids practices should already be in full swing at this point.
If your child’s oral health is neglected even for just a short period, it can lead to serious dental problems. Here are some of the dental issues that are common in kids:
Crooked/Misaligned Teeth
Overbites or crossbites cause crooked or misaligned teeth. Children who develop this dental problem experience bite issues and some of them even grow up with insecurities and diminished self-confidence.
Overcrowding
Overcrowding is common in children (and adults) with small jaws. As a result, there won’t be enough room for new teeth. Teeth shifting will happen because the adult teeth need space to get in.
Another consequence of overcrowding is difficulty in administering proper dental hygiene. Cleaning and brushing, especially the hard-to-reach teeth, will be difficult because there is not enough space for teeth to be adequately positioned.
Gum Disease/Tooth Decay
If your child constantly complains of a toothache, this can be a sign that cavities have already started forming in and around his or her teeth. Situations like this often result in gum problems or periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease refers to the infection of the gums – and teeth – because of plaque build-up. When left unattended, plaque can develop into tartar and cause bacteria to attack the teeth. The most common periodontal disease, both in children and adults, is gingivitis.
You’ll know your child has periodontal disease if he or she has receding gums, bleeding while brushing the teeth (and flossing), difficult-to-control bad breath, pus (between the gums and teeth), and sore, swollen, and red gums.
Tooth decay is caused by acid-creating bacteria attacking its enamel or surface. If left untreated, decayed teeth can cause discomfort, pain, tooth loss, and infection.
The dental problems mentioned above can affect your children’s overall health. Additionally, their oral health issues can continue and can even evolve into more serious conditions in their teen or adult years. The only way to ensure your children’s proper teeth development is to start dental care as early as their infancy.
Proper Dental Care for Your Children
Dental Care for Infants
Starting your child’s dental care routine as early as the infant years is ideal for ensuring proper teeth development. Here are some tips you can follow:
- Use a small gauze or soft cloth (clean, of course) to clean your infant’s gums.
You can also use the cloth to wipe away sugar or crumbs from the mouth. Excess food, especially sugar and sugary stuff, is cavity-causing.
When the teething period starts, around four to ten months old, you can switch to using a brush, a soft one, of course. Don’t use toothpaste yet; you can delay toothpaste use until your child turns at least two years old.
Teething toys are okay, but be sure to monitor your baby closely, so you won’t have to deal with teeth or gum damage. The teething toys should not have sharp edges.
Pacifiers help soothe and calm babies, so it’s okay for you to give them to your infant (or toddler), especially when he or she is sleepy or cranky. However, suckling on the pacifier can damage the teeth, so you have to be extra cautious and ensure that your child uses it properly.
Toddlers Dental Care
The toddler years are some of the most exciting times – both for you and your child. Once your child starts to walk and run around, it’s going to be a little bit of a challenge, but it’s also fun. In terms of dental care, though, you have to exercise a little care. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and toothpaste made especially for kids – one that does not contain harsh ingredients and tastes good.
Make sure your child brushes teeth at least two times a day. Be by his or her side the whole time so you can supervise the brushing. Check the brushing to be sure that all areas are cleaned. It can be challenging at the start, but your child will soon learn to love doing the activity with you.
Dental Care for School-Age Children
Once your child starts going to school, expect changes in your schedule. Nevertheless, it’s vital to train your child to follow a dental care routine. If you can, teach him or her to also floss at least once a day. Regular flossing helps remove food stuck in between teeth.
Additionally, you should also start training your child to eat a healthy diet, ensuring enough calcium consumption. Besides milk, you can also get calcium from cheeses, yogurt, oranges, broccoli, almonds, kale, and soybeans.
Continue to monitor sugar intake as well. Snacks such as chewy candies and chocolates should be discouraged or minimized.
Other sugary products your child should avoid (or minimize eating) include white pasta, white bread, chips, and other white flour-containing carbohydrate sources.
Orthodontic Treatment
Before your child turns seven, you should bring him or her to the orthodontist. Early orthodontic care helps address issues related to teeth and jaw development, particularly in terms of straightness.
In case an orthodontic problem is identified, it can be corrected early on with the help of corrective braces and wires. Treating such a problem at a younger age is essential if you want to prevent more complex dental or orthodontic situations from developing in your child’s teenage years.
Regular Dental Appointments
Aside from following the tips mentioned above, you should also start scheduling regular dental appointments. Ideally, you must bring your child to the dentist at least once a year, every six months, or once every three months.
Starting your child’s dental care routine as early as the infant years and following the tips mentioned above are the best things to do if you want your little one’s teeth to develop correctly. Schedule an appointment with your dentist so you can discuss your child’s dental care plan in detail.
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