A child’s oral health is the parent’s responsibility. Children are incapable of helping care for their teeth, so it’s imperative that parents pay special attention to the health of their child’s teeth.
Don’t believe the lie that “they’re baby teeth, they don’t matter.” Or maybe, “they’re just baby teeth, they’ll fall out anyway.” Caring for baby teeth is essential to your child’s overall oral health and future permanent teeth.
Why Oral Health is Important
Maintaining good oral hygiene has many benefits for your child:
- Prevents cavities: Cavities are holes in teeth. These need to be filled to prevent further disease, even in baby teeth.
- Prevents gum disease: Gum disease is not just for adults! A buildup of plaque causes gum irritation, bleeding, and tooth loss.
- Promotes good digestion: A buildup of bad bacteria in the mouth can mix with chewed food and travel through the rest of the digestive system.
- Promotes overall health: A diseased mouth can lead to diseases elsewhere in the body
- Saves you money: Children with healthy teeth require fewer dental visits, x-rays, crowns, fillings, or extractions, which saves you lots of money down the road!
When to Begin Taking Care of Baby Teeth
No matter the age group, once your child has teeth, oral hygienists recommend brushing teeth for two minutes, twice a day, and flossing once a day once the child’s teeth are touching.
For infants, brush their gums twice a day with a clean, damp cloth until their first tooth appears.
Once the first tooth or teeth come through the gums, start brushing them with a soft toothbrush and a rice-size amount of children’s toothpaste that can be swallowed. This method can be done until the child is three.
After three years old, use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and begin teaching them to spit the toothpaste out. Gradually help the child become independent with brushing, but your child shouldn’t be fully independent with oral hygiene until 10 years old.
At 10 years old, most children are independent in brushing and flossing, but it’s still the parent’s responsibility to make sure the child is thorough and consistent.
How to Brush My Baby or Toddler’s Teeth
Although most children are excited to brush their teeth because the flavored toothpaste is yummy, brushing their teeth can be awkward and uncomfortable until your baby or toddler regards it as normal.
Here are some tips to help make tooth brushing time easier for everyone:
- Choose (or let your child pick) a toothbrush and toothpaste that they are excited about. Usually, the novelty of the new toothbrush and toothpaste flavor will help them stay calm.
- Let them hold a spare toothbrush while you’re brushing with the other
- Give them a “play” toothbrush that they can chew on and get used to the sensation of the bristles.
- Many oral hygienists recommend laying the toddler down on the floor with their arms outstretched. Then the adult sits on the floor next to the toddler’s head and gently puts their legs over the child’s arms. This is a very gentle restraint that is more of a tactile reminder than anything else.
- Sing a song while you brush your teeth. Maybe it’s a song about oral hygiene, the ABC’s, or maybe it’s a silly one your child enjoys. Singing the same song every time will help your toddler develop patience with tooth brushing, because they anticipate the end of the song and know tooth brushing is ending, too.
Food and Oral Health
While it’s understandable to think that oral health is mostly related to brushing and flossing, this isn’t the case. In fact, oral health relies heavily on the foods and drinks your child consumes.
Foods such as sweets, breads, cereals, and sugary drinks like sodas, juices, and teas sit on and between the teeth, causing slow destruction of the teeth.
Brushing twice a day can help with cleaning the teeth from sugar-laden foods and drinks, but it won’t fix the problem completely. Cutting out sugary foods and beverages will not only benefit your child’s oral health, but their overall health, as well.