Our teeth are unlike almost every other part of our
body. Unlike our other organs, they don’t grow, regenerate or repair
themselves, which means we need to take extra good care of them. But that care
shouldn’t start as an adult, when your teeth have started to discolour. Good
oral hygiene should start out early, giving you the strong foundation you need
for healthy teeth.
Today, we’ve got 8 top tips to help keep your children’s teeth clean and healthy for years to come.
Today, we’ve got 8 top tips to help keep your children’s teeth clean and healthy for years to come.
Start Good
Habits Early
You don’t have to wait until your baby actually has
teeth to get good oral hygiene started. While your baby is growing, it’s a good
idea to gently clean their gums and any newly erupted first teeth after each
feeding, so that no sugars or bacteria can cling to them and start to cause
cavities. You can do this with a water soaked gauze pad or a clean, damp cloth.
Avoid any scrubbing – instead just use a gentle wiping motion.
Brush With
Care
When your baby’s teeth do come in, don’t leave them
be. Once the worst of the teething pains have gone, start to gently brush them
with a small, soft-bristled toothbrush with the thinnest smear of toothpaste.
Be careful not to aggravate the gums or put too much pressure on the teeth –
just a light brushing motion will be more than enough to protect and clean their
teeth during this delicate time.
Teach Your
Children
Let Your Children Listen To Our Healthy Teeth Song
Fight Baby
Bottle Tooth Decay
Baby bottle tooth decay is something a lot of new
parents don’t know much about, and many more discount it since ‘baby teeth’
will fall out. But if you’ve ever had tooth decay or cavities, you know how
much they hurt, so it’s worth preventing that pain in babies, even if it will
just be temporary. The best way to do that is to not let your child go to sleep
with a dummy or a bottle filled with anything but water. When teeth are
frequently exposed to sugar-coating fluids (like formula or breast milk) for
long periods, the potential for tooth decay increases dramatically.
Avoid Excess
Sugar
Did you know that saliva takes a minimum of 30
minutes to neutralise the acidity and bacteria caused by sugars? That’s at
least 30 minutes of sugar clinging to their teeth and eating away at the enamel.
So if you allow your child to eat a sugary snack every hour, your child’s mouth
will always be acidic, which greatly increases the chances of tooth decay
developing.
Make Dentists
Part Of The Routine
Dentists trips should form part of your child’s
dental health routine from an early age. They should first see a dentist around
the time of their first birthday, and regularly after that. This will help
check for cavities and decay and teach the proper toothcare techniques, as well
as for signs of developmental problems in your child quickly. This means you
will be able to catch and treat issues quickly, as well as making your child
comfortable with the dentist in the future.
Stay Calm
Many adults have problems with going to the dentist.
From the fear of pain to general anxiety around dentists and their offices,
emotions can run high when it comes time for the annual dental check-up. But no matter
how you feel, you need to try and not project those feelings of anxiety onto
your child. Your anxieties can make them feel anxious too, and that will make
getting dental treatment for them in the future a lot harder. Instead,
encourage your child to discuss any fears they have about the dentist, and
avoid using words like ‘hurt’ and ‘pain’ when talking about the dentist.
Childproof
Your Home
Trips to the dentist don’t just happen for the
annual check-up. In fact, research has shown that children under 7 sustain over
half of dental injuries to their baby teeth while playing at home, in close
proximity to furniture. Childproofing your home can help avoid some of these
more serious and painful injuries (which can lead to deformation if not
treated).
At Appledore, we encourage parents to bring their
children in and discuss any fears they might have about visiting a dentist, as well
as to explore dental hygiene and generally make taking care of their teeth fun.
Our dentists are experts in dealing with children’s oral hygiene, and have
spent time all over the world giving dental treatments to disadvantaged
children in third world countries. If you want to know more, just get in touch with us today.
To transform your smile, contact Appledore Dental Clinic Milton Keynes and you will start smiling more
- Call now on 01908 230 209
- smilesmk@appledore.co.uk
- Online booking is available from our website, click here to go to our website
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