How to Protect Your Baby from Tooth Decay

Think you need to wait until your baby has a mouth full of teeth to begin dental care? Wrong! In fact, the American Association of Pediatric Dentists recommends that you take your baby to see the dentist when he or she gets that first tooth. The first visit is primarily informational, but it could mean that you and your baby are one step ahead on the road to healthy teeth.

Baby Tooth Care

You'll want to make sure that you are instilling good oral care habits in your baby from as early on as you can. Pediatric dentists recommend that you don't send your babies to bed with bottles, especially when those bottles contain milk, formula or juice. Once your baby gets his or her first tooth, you'll want to gently brush their teeth gently with just a light smear of toothpaste to begin building proper hygiene and brushing habits.

Thumb Sucking

Do you have a thumb sucker? Pediatric dentists agree that a pacifier is their preferred choice in the pacifier vs. thumb debate. Ideally, your child shouldn't use a pacifier or a thumb for sucking, but if it has to be one or the other, dentists recommend the pacifier over the thumb. Keep in mind that you should never dip the pacifier in any kind of sweet liquid before giving it to your baby, because the sugar in the liquid will simply remain in the mouth, potentially leading to future decay.

Using Bottles

Finally, wean your baby from bottles by the age of one. By this time, you will want to encourage your child to learn how to drink from a cup as you continue to encourage a healthy and nutritious diet for your child.

You can easily teach your kids how to prevent the possibility of future cavities and tooth decay by practicing proper brushing habits and instilling the idea of not having sugary drinks right before bedtime.

Encouraging Healthy Teeth for Kids

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children visit a dentist with the eruption of the first tooth, or at the latest, by age one. While some babies are born with one or two teeth, some won’t have their first tooth until after age one. The average age for the first tooth eruption is six months. The best way for us to prevent cavities in our children’s teeth is to address it at an early age.

Start Early

Children need to become comfortable with having their teeth and mouths inspected by parents and dentists. This can start in infancy, even before a tooth erupts. After meals, use a damp warm cloth to gently cleanse the gums. As your child grows, continue regular inspections.

As our children grow, we must be active and vigilant. We cannot simply ask our kids if they’ve brushed their teeth and hope they’re honest. Most kids don’t like to brush their teeth. Many lie about it! Some will run the toothbrush under water to “prove” they’ve brushed when they haven’t. Parents must actually inspect their children’s teeth. The best way to ensure our kids are brushing is for us to watch them brush.

Make Dental Hygiene Fun

Just by walking down the toothpaste and toothbrush aisle at the supermarket or drugstore, it’s obvious that marketers have figured out that fun products attract kids. Most general retailers carry a huge selection of kid-themed toothbrushes, toothpaste and mouthwash. Kids like to have fun. Commercial packaging is designed to be fun and appealing to children. Make it fun!

Purchasing dental products with popular animated characters is the simplest way to start the fun. Take it a step farther by finding tools available through various other outlets. Sesame Street, for example, has a wealth of tools on its site for parents, such as activities, games, and informational brochures. YouTube is a great source for kid-oriented dental hygiene videos. There’s no shortage of fun videos on YouTube instructing kids on dental hygiene!

Insurance Providers as a Resource

For families with health maintenance organization (HMO) dental insurance plans, check with your provider to see what resources are available regarding your child’s dental care. Many HMO plans offer resources on their websites that will help with caring for your child’s teeth.

Teaching your Kids to Floss

At Playtime Dental, we know that flossing is just as important for your child as it is for you, as it promotes healthy dental hygiene and prevents cavities and gum disease. Teaching your children how to floss will help them learn the importance of this habit as well as enjoy it. Here are a few steps to consider when teaching your little one how to floss.

1. Floss Length

Each time your child flosses, he or she should break off roughly 18 inches. A good trick to help you remember this is to make the floss the same length as the distance between your elbow and your fingertip. Once you have the floss in hand, you can either floss for your child, or if the child is old enough, you can teach him or her.

2. How to Hold Floss

Holding floss can be tricky at times, so it is important for your child to know the proper method. A best practice for this is to wind a good majority of the floss around one of the middle fingers. Then, the rest of the floss can go around the other middle finger on the opposite hand. After that, your child can firmly grasp the floss between his or her thumbs and first fingers to better control it and adapt it to the curves of the teeth.

3. Flossing Thoroughly

There are several steps involved when it comes to the actual flossing process. First, have your child gently guide the floss in between his or her teeth. After that, the child will need to make the floss into a C shape so that it can easily go into the spot between the tooth and the gum. Once the floss is in a good position, the child can hold it tightly against his or her tooth and then lightly rub the side of the tooth with the floss. This should be done in a slight up and down motion away from the gum. After this step is complete, the child can simply repeat the process until all of his or her gums are clean. It’s that simple!

Best Kid Books that Teach Oral Hygiene

When it comes to dental hygiene, teach kids often and start early. Parents and even teachers of young children who want to encourage proper dental hygiene, which includes brushing, rinsing, flossing and routine visits to the dentist, might rely on books to supplement their words. Here are some parents' and teachers' favorite books, many of which are recommended by dentists who know how important it is to get the word out to children.

Available on Amazon

Plenty of books exist featuring your child's favorite movie and TV characters. Spongebob and the Berenstein Bears know how important it is to brush and floss! Even Dr. Seuss has a book aptly titled The Tooth Book. We recommend the popup book Ready, Set, Brush, which features everyone’s favorite red muppet from Sesame Street. Elmo teaches kids all about brushing twice a day for two minutes each to keep their pearly whites, well, pearly and white! Elmo and friends also talk about visiting the dentist.

Kate Parkhurst is the author of The Invasion of The Cavity Creatures, which provides a fun look into what happens when you don't properly take care of your teeth. No one wants cavity creatures! And this book helps inspire children to keep on top of their brushing routine every day.

Available on Amazon

Brush, Rinse and Floss is a good book for children who are a little older and need motivation to take care of their teeth and mouth. Dads who want to teach their children how to brush correctly might like Pony Brushes His Teeth, which centers on a daddy horse teaching his little pony to brush for the first time. Junie B., First Grader: Toothless Wonder is ideal for children who are losing teeth and worried by it.

If your little one is worried about visiting the dentist, which can seem scary to children, try Teddy Visits the Dentist. This book explains routine dental visits in a way that isn't scary.

Parents may receive other recommendations or activity sheets from teachers and dentists. Children will identity with different artwork, stories and characters, so having plenty of sources to teach about oral hygiene is key to making an impression.