A perfect smile is defined by mainly the teeth, which are to be guided and maintained correctly from the childhood when the milk teeth erupt into the oral cavity. The maintenance and care of primary teeth helps in eruption of permanent teeth later at correct positions.
Taking care of child’s teeth is more of a parent’s job than the child itself. The care should be taken from even before the appearance of first tooth. The development of these teeth start from before birth itself, so while they are coming out into the oral cavity, the steps should be taken for guiding them properly, and to prevent any bacterial attack on them.
Here are a few steps you should take to help your child’s teeth be healthy -
After feeding the baby, run a damp washcloth over the baby’s gums to keep the area free of any bacteria. This is when the teeth are still developing.
When a few teeth appear in the mouth, they should be cleaned daily using a soft toothbrush, and with a gauze every day.
Fluoride containing toothpaste should be used, so as to prevent tooth decay from the young age itself. Fluoride compounds help in prevention of tooth decay. Care should be taken in children below the age of 6, so that they don’t consume excess toothpaste, because excess of fluorides can lead to mottled teeth. So for children under 3 years of age, a thin smear of paste, and for 3-6 years of age, a pea-sized blob is enough for tooth brushing.
Till the age of 8 years, supervise the child on how to brush their teeth, and how much toothpaste is sufficient to clean their teeth. They should also be trained on oral rinsing habits.
Try to restrict the diet to a less-sugary one, as sugars are attacked by bacteria, which release acids leading to tooth decay. Meals and snacks have to be given at appropriate and regular timings. Habit should be made on sucking liquids from bottles, as using the bottles throughout the day can damage the teeth.
Children usually have a habit of thumb sucking, breathing with mouth etc. which have to be checked for, and if these habits are continued after the age of 4, then visit a dentist to make the child leave the habit gradually.
Take your child to a dentist at least twice in a year, to discuss on further oral care practices, and depending on the present status of child’s teeth, the dentist advises on the steps to follow to maintain a proper oral health.
Keep yourself updated with ongoing free dental programs, like “Give Kids a Smile” event where free dental care is provided to children in the month of February. Oral health tips and regular free dental care reports are available on WorlDental.org that can help adults and children to obtain better dental health.
Chetan Bhawani is a part of WorlDental.org, a popular dental health web magazine, which informs about oral health tips, dentistry news, free and affordable dental care opportunities. Contact for any dental advertising, or guest article posting.
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