Don’t we all love those adorable tootsie smiles of our babies and toddlers? They radiate pure happiness and glee, making us forget our day-long exhaustion. But just like every precious thing, those pearly whites need to be protected and maintained carefully for good dental and oral health.
Families in India often overlook toddler and infant dental care, assuming that the temporary or milk teeth hold no importance. However, dentists have unanimously agreed that their oral hygiene and dental care should begin even before the first tooth erupts.
A KANTAR IMRB survey reveals worrying data on the state of children’s oral health in India and illustrates the discrepancy between facts vs parents’ perceptions of their children’s oral health:
Why is dental health and hygiene care in babies and toddlers vital?
- Early care helps maintain the gap for the permanent (adult) teeth to emerge seamlessly
- Baby teeth help in shaping your child’s face
- Facilitates clear speech
- Aids in smooth chewing and swallowing
Here are some effective and easy-to-implement dental hygiene tips for your baby or toddler to ensure their smiles continue to shine through in your life:
Table of Contents
Limit sweet snacks and drinks
Consuming too many sugary snacks and beverages can have a detrimental effect on your little one’s overall oral hygiene and dental care. Menacing bacteria in their mouths convert sugar into acid, which softens enamel and subsequently eats away at their dentition. The bacteria multiply by overwhelming the pH in saliva, eventually eroding their teeth and making them prone to other gum diseases.
Prevent bottle to bed
Although this may help a weary or cranky kid feel better, the sugar in liquids like milk, formula, and juice feeds the bacteria in the mouth. When you combine that with the fact that saliva production decreases when we sleep, the likelihood of developing dental decay rises, disrupting the total infant oral care.
Begin a brushing routine at the onset of the first tooth
As soon as your baby’s teeth appear, you must start brushing or wiping them with a little toothbrush and water. You can start brushing your child’s teeth with a pea-sized quantity of low-fluoride toothpaste at the age of 18 months. After brushing, make sure they spit out the toothpaste.
Up to the age of 7 or 8, children must have an adult assist them in brushing their teeth and gums twice a day. You can start flossing between your baby’s teeth when two of them come into contact. Following these simple oral care tips will help maintain your kid’s oral hygiene and dental care.
Teething
Teething is a stage at which a baby or a toddler’s gum opens up to give way to the new tooth. More often than often this is an excruciating time for your child during which they need extra attention and love.
While the child returns to normal once the tooth emerges, the 24-72 hours that the teething process takes is not only difficult for the little one but also sends shivers down the parents. The horrors of this stage can be alleviated through a few means, such as by giving them a teether, gently massaging their gums, or even administering pain relievers if the pain becomes intolerable.
Make an appointment for your child’s dental health examination at or before age of two
A dentist or oral health expert can conduct your little one’s first oral health examination. Starting routine examinations at age 2 allows for the early detection and treatment of any dental health and hygiene issues.
These checkups can aid in the early detection of issues and assist children in being accustomed to going to the dentist so they will experience less anxiety as they become older. It’s always a wiser option to get your child to a pediatric dentist since they are qualified to treat a variety of problems exclusively related to children’s oral health.
Protect your child’s priceless smiles!
Zing Mode’s Pediatric Dental Care is an age-specific speciality that offers children and adolescents comprehensive preventative, restorative, and other oral health services. Our team of specialists is qualified to deal with children’s dental health from infancy through adolescence. They are equipped and competent to take care of dental problems in kids, comprising the child’s mouth, teeth, and gums at every stage of growth.
We cater to a host of pediatric dental care services, covering:
- Oral care exams
- Extractions
- Preventive care
- Habit counseling
- Cavity repair
- Space maintainers
Book an appointment now to experience hassle-free free dental procedures for your little one! Contact our support team for more info.
