As a parent, you worry about your children’s health. This is why you might have many questions and might be wondering when you need to schedule your child’s first trip to the dentist, if they should be flossing or if they will need braces later on.
Many parents have a tough time knowing how much or how little dental care their kids need as they grow up. They just know that they want to do everything they can to prevent cavities, however, they are not always aware of the best ways to accomplish this. Keep reading for some tips and guidelines on how to keep your child’s teeth healthy in Winnipeg.
When Should Your Child Start Brushing Their Teeth?
Did you know that good dental hygiene begins even before your baby grows it’s first tooth? Just because you can’t visibly see any teeth doesn’t mean they aren’t there, just below the surface. Teeth will actually begin to form in your baby during the second trimester! At birth, your baby will have 20 primary teeth, some of them will even be fully formed in the jaw.
Even before your baby begins teething, you should make it a habit to run a clean, damp washcloth over their gums in order to clear away any harmful bacteria. When your baby begins to sprout teeth, brush them using an infant toothbrush. You can use water and a small bit of fluoride toothpaste, the size of a grain of rice. Only use fluoride toothpaste that has the dental association’s seal of acceptance. When your baby’s teeth begin to touch, you can start to floss them.
At around the age of two years old, your child should learn how to spit while brushing their teeth. Try to avoid giving your child water to switch as they spit because this can cause them to swallow toothpaste. Kids that are aged 3 and up should only be using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste that contains fluoride and you should always be supervising any kids younger than 8 while brushing.
Even babies can suffer from tooth decay. Putting your baby to bed with a bottle can harm their teeth. Sugar from juice, formula or milk can stay on your baby’s teeth for a long time and damage the enamel. The enamel is the layer of the tooth that protects it against tooth decay. This leads to something known as bottle mouth or baby bottle tooth decay. When this occurs, the front teeth can become discoloured, pocked or pitted. Cavities can appear, and in other worse cases, the decayed teeth could need to get pulled out.
For more information about how to care for your baby’s teeth, call Upper Fort Dental today.
