Dental Care For Your Child’s Baby Teeth

Everyone loves to see a child give a big, happy, healthy smile. However, tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in children. Cavities can lead to pain, infection, lost or unproductive time at school, and disturbances in speech and eating. Therefore, keeping their baby teeth as healthy as possible is extremely important.

Even though your child will eventually lose all of their baby teeth, they are still very important. Healthy baby teeth allow for proper speech, good self-esteem and self-image, chewing, and saving space for their permanent teeth.

Do not allow your child to sip on milk or juice for prolonged periods of time. Bacteria in our mouths use the sugars in these drinks to produce acid which in turn eats holes in our teeth that we commonly refer to as cavities. Every time we ingest sugar, the bacteria in our mouths produce acid for approximately half an hour until our saliva washes it away. If we never stop ingesting sugar, however, our saliva is never able to catch up and cavities run wild! This condition is very common and has been nick-named “bottle rot.” Your child can avoid it by only having milk and juice at dedicated meal and snack times and by only giving them bottles and sippy cups filled with water while playing or before going to bed.

Using pacifiers or sucking a thumb or fingers is very common for children. It acts as a comforting mechanism and most will stop on their own before they’re four years old. However, pacifiers and sucking on thumbs or fingers can negatively impact teeth alignment and growth of the jaws. If you are having trouble getting your child to stop their thumb/finger sucking or pacifier habit, or you are concerned about the alignment and positioning of their baby teeth, please see their dentist for help!

Sealants are a great way to help your child from getting cavities. Sealants are a protective coating that is put on the biting surfaces of molars in the grooves and pits that frequently trap food debris and house bacteria. Placing sealants is easy, fast, and painless and can help protect the tooth from cavities for year to come.

Arguably the most important thing you can do for the health of your child’s teeth is to promote good oral hygiene habits. Brushing twice per day (morning and night) and flossing once daily will help ensure a healthy smile. Brush for/with your child if they are still too little to do it alone and always promote the importance of good oral hygiene at any age

Call us today to schedule an appointment for your baby.