This may sound silly, but I love teeth. And it’s super important to me to keep ours healthy. So I’m happy to share this post with you, with a few tips on how to keep your kids smile picture perfect.
How to Care for Your Kids Smile
Watching your baby smile is probably one of the best feelings in the world. But, how do you keep that smile looking just as good for longer? How do you prevent your baby from contracting any oral infection that could ruin both their oral health and aesthetics? We have a few words of advice that you could follow to ensure your baby’s oral health is at its best and any possible infections are kept away.
Many parents approach us asking for advice on how to care for their baby’s teeth as their child has just started teething. Many of us assume that whatever is good for adults’ oral health holds good for children as well. Well, this is only partially true. Children experience certain completely different issues that could put their oral health at a risk, and parents need to be aware of them to act accordingly.
Make sure they eat healthily
The food your child eats largely affects their oral health. Children are most often drawn towards sugary foods such as chocolate, candies, gummy bears, etc. Though this isn’t entirely discouraged by pediatric dentists, we advise parents to keep an eye on it. Excessive consumption of sugary foods, frequent snacking, ignoring food residue in the mouth (stuck between the teeth) even after finishing eating, etc. can lead to a microbial build up in the mouth. This ultimately leads to cavities and gum diseases.
In case of infants who are being breastfed or fed from a bottle, wipe the gum of the baby with a damp washcloth after every feeding. This reduces the chances of baby bottle tooth decay.
Make sure they brush regularly
Eating chocolate is not the culprit, but letting it stay on the teeth for a long time is. When food particles and sugary residues stay on the teeth for a long time, the bacteria in the mouth get something to feed on, thereby increasing the chances of developing cavities. Choose a soft bristle toothbrush for your child and make sure they brush their teeth with a pea-sized amount of ADA approved toothpaste every day. If they’re too little to brush on their own, parents are recommended to help them brush their teeth. Flossing is also advised to remove the food particles that are stuck in between the teeth.
Get the perfect pacifier
Did you know that a faulty pacifier could cause malocclusion? (Misaligned teeth when the jaws are closed.) And so can thumb sucking. Take your child to a pediatric dentist if there are persistent issues with thumb sucking. Also, the dentist would give your child a pacifier that is designed perfectly to prevent any type of early malocclusion.
In addition to these measures, make sure you take your child for regular oral consultations to a pediatric dentist at least once every six months. This way, the dentist would be well aware of the oral health condition of your child and monitor the growth of their teeth.
At Purcellville Pediatric Dentistry we offer compassionate, gentle, effective dental care to children. Dr. Nooshin Monajemy (Dr. Mona) and her staff have created a warm, welcoming, and fun environment for our pediatric patients.
