Last Updated on: 20th December 2023, 11:49 pm
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Taking care of baby and toddler dental health is very crucial. Toddlers’ tooth development is a critical process that lasts from before birth through the preschool years. To ensure that young children receive the proper dental care, it is crucial for parents and other caregivers to understand this procedure. The lower front teeth of a baby are often the first to erupt in their mouth and do so between the ages of six and ten months. The upper front teeth follow, and they start to erupt between eight and twelve months of age. Most kids will have their entire set of 20 main teeth by the time they are three years old.
To preserve healthy teeth and gums, it’s essential to instill appropriate oral hygiene practices in toddlers. These practices include giving kids a balanced and healthful diet low in sugary and acidic foods, which can lead to tooth decay, and brushing their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush.
Maintaining optimal dental health in babies and toddlers is crucial for their overall well-being. It helps prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral health issues. Here are some valuable tips to help take care of your baby or toddler’s dental health.
15 Tips for Baby and Toddler Dental Health
For this reason, we provide advice on how to maintain good toddler dental health and young children.
- Prolonging breastfeeding contributes positively to the development of all components of the oral cavity, dental, muscular and skeletal, and prevents dental and maxillofacial disorders.
- The first visit of the baby to the dentist should take place after the eruption of the first tooth and before the first year.
- From the appearance of the first teeth, it is not recommended that the baby sleeps with the bottle because during sleep the protective factors of saliva are reduced.
- Only fill your baby’s bottle with breast milk or powdered milk, and avoid filling them with sugary drinks or soft drinks.
- Avoid excessive use of the bottle beyond the recommended age because it favors the appearance of an infant sucking pattern that causes dentomaxillary malformations.
- It is recommended that during the first years of the life of the child, parents stop certain habits to prevent the transmission of bacteria such as sharing toothbrushes or other utensils that the child takes to his mouth, also blowing food, and kissing in the mouth.
- Encourage healthy eating habits and a balanced diet that includes foods rich in calcium, phosphorus, and fluoride that help strengthen teeth.
- Avoid excess consumption of foods rich in added sugar, instead offer as snacks natural fruits and cereals.
- Teach your child to prefer water as a beverage of choice over other sugary drinks, such as soda or juice.
- Begin establishing toothbrushing as a daily hygiene habit, starting with the first eruption of teeth.
- In babies, up to twelve months brush their teeth daily, with a soft brush and without toothpaste.
- In children from twelve to twenty-four months is advisable to start getting an adequate duration of brushing up to 2 minutes, always under adult supervision.
- From 18 months can begin to include a small amount of paste, the size of a grain of rice.
- In some cases, it is advisable the use supplements of fluoride, but it is due to consult with the pediatrician before beginning to use it.
- It is recommendable that the child goes for a dental revision at least 2 times during the year. You can visit our dentist in any of our locations in Dentist in Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, and Santa Paula.
By implementing these tips, you can assist your baby or toddler in developing good dental habits and maintaining optimal oral health. Remember, good dental health starts early, and it’s never too early to begin taking care of your child’s teeth. If you have a baby or toddler at home, it´s important to keep in mind that care and toddler dental health from an early age is very important.
The eruption of the first teeth begins at 6 months of age in most babies. However, there is care that must be taken from birth to promote good oral health and prevent possible future diseases of the oral cavity.
Dental caries is currently the most common chronic disease in childhood. This pathology affects the general health of the child, causing intense pain, facial infections, and even a decrease in their physical development and learning capacity; besides, this disease is infectious and transmissible.
At Channel Islands Family Dental Office, we care about maintaining optimal dental health in our patients, both adults, and children.
Bibliography
- Community Preventive Services Task Force. Preventing Dental Caries. Website: https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/dental-caries-cavities-community-water-fluoridationexternal icon. Accessed October 23, 2014.
- Friedman, M. 8 Ways to Protect Your Child’s Teeth. Website: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/dental-health-for-kids#2. Accessed October 07, 2019.