Dental Blog

5 Ways You Can Take Care of Your Infant`s Oral Health

Posted by on 02-01-2015 23:26:00

Taking care of infant`s oral health is very important, as poor oral health leads to serious dental complications when the babies grow up. The parents play a crucial role in taking care of oral health, and promoting good oral habits in infants, until the baby`s first dental visit.

Just because there are not any teeth does not mean the mouth does not need to be cleaned regularly. The doctors advise you clean your baby`s teeth daily with a soft cloth or gauze. When you start cleaning the gums early, it helps your baby get used to it an early age.

Milk teeth appear in children between 6 to 8 months from time they were born. You need to clean the teeth with a soft bristled baby tooth brush, preferably twice a day, with the fluoridated tooth paste as suggested by your family doctor or dentist.

When two of the teeth in your baby`s mouth that erupted side by side, floss them regularly. Doctors advice you floss the baby`s teeth at least once in a day, preferably before the bed time.

Many parents let their babies sleep with a milk bottle in their mouth. Also, many babies even fall asleep while their mothers breastfeed them. This will make the baby`s teeth vulnerable, and leads to what commonly the dentists call “bottle tooth decay”. Once the baby`s mouth is cleaned in the night, you should not give any food except water.

It is very important you take your baby to a pediatric dentist by the time they turn one, or when you see the first tooth erupted. Regular visits to the dentist ensure good oral health, and reduce the risk of serious dental complications as the babies grow up.