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As much as I've discussed my own journey with my dental health throughout the years here, I've actually never came around to discussing children's dental health, but now that my five year old niece is having one of her own, I thought it high time I do so.
You see, she has had a discolored speck on the corner of one of her two front teeth for a while now, so she recently had to visit the dentist to have it looked at. Thankfully, she's only five, so this is not one of her permanent teeth, but a baby tooth that she'll eventually lose. She, and her dental health has inspired me to look into how to best care for children's teeth and steps we can take to prevent decay early.
Here are a few very simple ways you can prevent tooth decay in your baby, child or toddler.
1. No Beverages in Bed
You may have heard the term "bottle mouth" or something similar. However, you were probably also taught to give your baby a bottle of milk, and your toddler a sippy cup full of juice for them to drink as they go to sleep at night. This is actually not as good an idea as we've all been taught. In fact, allowing children to develop the habit of drinking as they fall asleep is one cause of tooth decay as juice contains sugars and acids while milk contains sugars that all contribute to tooth decay. So unless you're able to use a cloth to wipe your child's teeth down or brush them after they've fallen asleep and the bottle has rolled to the side of them, you shouldn't allow them to have a bottle while they're falling asleep. Instead, you can feed them right before they get into bed, being sure to brush their teeth or rub them gently with a cloth before laying them down. Otherwise, the child goes to sleep with the sugars and acids being left in their mouths to do their damage on those pearly whites.
2. When to Begin Flossing
I'm not sure why it never occurred to me that there may be a certain age or time when a child should begin flossing, but there actually is a rule of thumb to follow. According to My BPD.ca , you should actually begin flossing as soon as any two teeth are touching each other, so for some children, this will be during the early toddler years, and for others it may be sooner or later than that. Just be sure to keep an eye on how many teeth are coming in, and when they begin to touch.
Burlington Pediatric Dentistry also reminds parents of the importance of junk food, and foods with hidden sugars in their lists of ingredients. They've suggested foods such as yogurt and vegetables as alternatives, and this way, you don't have to worry so much about many hidden harmful ingredients.
3. Be Mindful of Fluoride & the Dangers
Something that I admire about the Burlington Pediatric Dentistry group is that they recognize the reality of over-fluoridation, known as fluorosis, which can be very dangerous and parents should be sure their children are not consuming more than they can help.
Do you guys have any useful tips and tricks for preventative dental care for new parents? Please do share.
You see, she has had a discolored speck on the corner of one of her two front teeth for a while now, so she recently had to visit the dentist to have it looked at. Thankfully, she's only five, so this is not one of her permanent teeth, but a baby tooth that she'll eventually lose. She, and her dental health has inspired me to look into how to best care for children's teeth and steps we can take to prevent decay early.
Here are a few very simple ways you can prevent tooth decay in your baby, child or toddler.
1. No Beverages in Bed
You may have heard the term "bottle mouth" or something similar. However, you were probably also taught to give your baby a bottle of milk, and your toddler a sippy cup full of juice for them to drink as they go to sleep at night. This is actually not as good an idea as we've all been taught. In fact, allowing children to develop the habit of drinking as they fall asleep is one cause of tooth decay as juice contains sugars and acids while milk contains sugars that all contribute to tooth decay. So unless you're able to use a cloth to wipe your child's teeth down or brush them after they've fallen asleep and the bottle has rolled to the side of them, you shouldn't allow them to have a bottle while they're falling asleep. Instead, you can feed them right before they get into bed, being sure to brush their teeth or rub them gently with a cloth before laying them down. Otherwise, the child goes to sleep with the sugars and acids being left in their mouths to do their damage on those pearly whites.
2. When to Begin Flossing
I'm not sure why it never occurred to me that there may be a certain age or time when a child should begin flossing, but there actually is a rule of thumb to follow. According to My BPD.ca , you should actually begin flossing as soon as any two teeth are touching each other, so for some children, this will be during the early toddler years, and for others it may be sooner or later than that. Just be sure to keep an eye on how many teeth are coming in, and when they begin to touch.
Burlington Pediatric Dentistry also reminds parents of the importance of junk food, and foods with hidden sugars in their lists of ingredients. They've suggested foods such as yogurt and vegetables as alternatives, and this way, you don't have to worry so much about many hidden harmful ingredients.
3. Be Mindful of Fluoride & the Dangers
Something that I admire about the Burlington Pediatric Dentistry group is that they recognize the reality of over-fluoridation, known as fluorosis, which can be very dangerous and parents should be sure their children are not consuming more than they can help.
Do you guys have any useful tips and tricks for preventative dental care for new parents? Please do share.
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