Your Child’s New Teeth

Your Child’s New Teeth

Many new parents make the mistake of thinking that baby teeth don’t require the same level of care as permanent adult teeth. This is incorrect. It’s vitally important to not just pay attention to your child’s dental health, but to their overall development and nutrition, to take care of these little teeth.

Baby teeth play many important roles in your child’s development, such as the following:

1. Baby teeth act as special placeholders for adult teeth
2. Baby teeth help your child learn to chew food
3. Baby teeth help in the development of your child’s speech
4. Baby teeth can provide strong indicators of future dental problems your child may experience
5. Teaching your child from an early age will lead to a lifetime of good oral hygiene practices

So how can you take care of your child’s new teeth?

It actually starts before they appear! You should use a soft damp cloth to wipe your baby’s gums after each feeding. This will help to remove the normal bacteria in your baby’s mouth that can lead to plaque and possible damage to the baby teeth that may be just under the gums.

Once the baby teeth actually appear, you can immediately begin taking care of them. You’ll need to purchase a small baby toothbrush with very soft bristles and a small head. Beginning with just water, then eventually working your way up to a gentle toothpaste formulated especially for babies, gently brush the teeth and the surrounding gum tissues to remove any food particles.

As you are brushing, make note of anything that looks strange or abnormal within your baby’s mouth so that you can discuss it with one of our Dentists during your next visit.

Ideally, your child should be able to brush his or her own teeth around the age of six. Making good dental hygiene a regular part of your routine from the beginning of your baby’s life, will lead to good habits that your child can eventually maintain on their own.

Here are some helpful tips on how to further protect your child’s new teeth

1. Avoid giving your child too much sugar in the form of candy, sugary drinks etc. Even juices should be given in moderation as they are generally high in sugar.
2. Avoid allowing your child to eat too much hard candy.
3. Avoid allowing your child to chew on ice.
4. Never put your child to bed with a bottle that contains any sugary substance.
5. Ween your child from soothers and pacifiers as soon as possible to avoid damaging the shape of your child’s teeth.
6. Discourage behaviors such as thumb sucking.
7. Encourage your child to eat a healthy diet and always brush their teeth at least twice each day

With proper care, you can help provide your child with a lifetime of good dental health, and pave the way for their permanent teeth!

When you and your child visit us at Enhance Dental Centre, we’ll ensure that your child is well-taken care and we always make a trip to the dentist, a positive one and a fun one, so your child looks forward to it the next time.