Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Caring for your Child's Teeth

The sugars we eat or drink, including sugar in milk, mixes with plaque to create an acid that eats away at our teeth.  During the day we drink water or our saliva removes the acid from our teeth.  However, at night the acid tends to sit on our teeth.

Ways to Care for Your Baby's Teeth:

  • Don't put your baby to bed with a bottle with juice or milk, only water.
  • Wipe gums with a damp wash cloth after they eat or at least before bed. 
  • When first teeth appear, brush them every day with a soft toothbrush. (Don't use fluoride toothpaste until age 3.)
  • After 6 months of age, talk to your doctor about a fluoride supplement if your city's water doesn't contain fluoride.
  • Take your child to the dentist between age 1 & 2 (check with your dentist for his recommendation) and then every year.
Photo Credit

Teaching a Toddler to Brush their own teeth:
  • Teach your child early how to brush.  Buy a small toothbrush with soft bristles.
  • Make brushing fun or a game.  Sing "Brush, brush, brush your teeth, keep them clean and white" to the tune Row-row-row your Boat.
  • Let your child watch you brush your teeth.
  • Read children's books about brushing teeth.
  • Play going to the dentist with your child.
  • Make a chart where your child can place a sticker every time they remember to brush their teeth.  You may want to come up a reward they can earn for filling up the chart
Materials from Utah County Health Department's Welcome Baby program.


3 comments:

  1. Getting children started to care for their teeth at an early age is very important. An increased awareness of the benefits of a healthy mouth helps children cultivate proper oral hygiene practices, which prevent teeth and gum problems.

    child teeth

    ReplyDelete
  2. For your children's teeth, I agree that it has to start early and you need to teach them the importance of brushing their teeth well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is important to use water in the bottle at night, tooth decay and gum problems happen if you use juices. I believe in taking kids to the dentist by the time they are one to get comfortable with the idea of oral hygiene.

    ReplyDelete

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