10 Tips to Keep Your Child’s Teeth Healthy and Happy
A proper dental care routine for your child can help protect their teeth for several decades. The 20 primary teeth are already present in your baby’s jaws at birth and the teeth start coming through the gums when your child is 6 months old. As per the recommendations of the experts, the first dental visit for your child must occur within 6 months after the appearance of the baby’s first tooth. Contact only the best dentists in Chandigarh and use this opportunity to get answers to all your queries and learn proper techniques for your child’s dental health. As parents, you can help improve your child’s dental hygiene by simply making a few changes in their daily routine. Here are a few basic tips that will help take care of your child’s oral health:
- Clean Gums before Baby Starts Teething: You can begin cleaning your child’s mouth during the first few days after birth by lightly massaging and wiping the gums with a clean and moist washcloth or gauze pad. This can help in keeping harmful bacteria away.
- Use Rice Grain-Sized Fluoride Toothpaste for Infants: Once your baby gets teeth you can use a soft child-sized toothbrush to lightly brush the teeth. Use a tiny bit of fluoride toothpaste about the size of rice grain and a little water.
- Use Pea-Sized Fluoride Toothpaste for Toddlers: You can start using a pea-sized amount of fluoridated paste on your baby’s toothbrush once he/she reaches the preschool age. Keep an eye that your child spits it out and does not swallow excess toothpaste.
- Floss Daily: Flossing should begin as soon as the teeth start growing next to each other. Flossing can remove the plaque effectively from between the teeth which are missed by the brush and under the gums before it hardens up into tartar.
- Brush Teeth Twice a Day: Your school going kid should brush teeth at least twice a day for around two minutes. Flossing must follow brushing and a mouth rinse must be used.
- Baby Teeth are Important: Baby teeth hold the place for permanent teeth until the time they are ready to erupt. They also help your child to learn to chew and speak naturally.
- Limit Sugary Beverages and Juices Via Bottles: You should not let your little one fall asleep with a bottle. You can rather use a cup for giving juice and high sugar beverages. The sugar in these beverages can stick to teeth and may result in tooth decay.
- Supervise Your Child’s Toothbrushing: You have to supervise and assist your child while brushing till the age of seven as a post that they can brush by themselves. Even when your child grows up it is a good idea to keep a watch every now and then to ensure they are brushing properly.
- Encourage Kids to Avoid Sticky Candy: You must ask your children to stay away from sticky candy and encourage them to chew sugarless chewing gum. This will help prevent cavities.
- Use Mouth Guard while Playing Sports: It is advisable to always ask your child to wear a mouth guard if he participates in sports. This will help avoid any injuries and harm to teeth while playing.
You can motivate your child to brush properly with fun activities, stickers, or gold stars. Make brushing fun for your kiddo by letting them pick their own toothpaste so that they are excited about brushing. Dr. Datta’s Specialists Dental Care is the best dental clinic in Mohali which is very effective in providing young patients with kid-friendly spaces.
Did you find these tips useful? In case we have missed out on anything please comment and let us know!