You hate to see your child sad, mad, scared or anything other than happy because you love them so much. This love should also be applied to their mouths.
You need to protect it and what’s inside of it should be just as precious. Your child’s teeth play an important role in the development of their adult teeth.
Therefore your child’s baby teeth need deliberate care and attention to make sure everything develops correctly.
By doing so, you set your child up for a future without tooth decay and future dental work. Here are five ways to protect your child’s teeth.
Also, it’s a way to make sure you see a lot of one of your kid’s most favorite things their smile.
1. When you see a Tooth it’s Time to See the Dentist
You may have heard conflicting advice when it comes to taking your child to the dentist for the first time.
This initial dental visit will
- Make sure everything is looking good in your child’s mouth,
- Inform you of the best practices for helping your child develop good dental hygiene habits and
- Let you know what you can do as more of a kid’s teeth emerge and develop.
This is also a good opportunity to ask your dentist any questions or express any concerns you may have about your child’s teeth.
2. Be Firm about Teaching Good Habits
Brushing or teaching a one or two-year-old to brush isn’t going to be the easiest thing to do. This is especially true when they become agitated, impatient or even use their new teeth to bite you.
Even when they don’t make it very easy or pleasing to do so. Don’t give up and keep on going even when it’s frustrating.
Use rewards and incentives if necessary. Learn when the best times are to have them do it, like when they are not overly tired or overly hyper. Ensuring your child brushes the right way is one of the easiest ways to protect your child’s teeth.
3. Be Careful with Bottles and Sippy Cups
Bottles and sippy cups definitely have a time and a place in your child’s life. However, be careful to not let your child use them longer than is necessary.
There’s actually something called “baby bottle decay”. It can arise from letting your child take a bottle of milk or juice to sleep.
Bacteria can gather on your child’s teeth overnight and cause problems. Sippy cups can also cause similar issues.
In particular on the back of the front two top teeth and the bottom front teeth. If you find your child likes either one of these for comfort before they go to sleep or to help them fall asleep, try using water instead.
By doing this you can avoid future dental work in your child’s mouth and ensure a healthy smile.
4. Get Help from Special Friends
Many parents like to limit the type of media their children take in. There’s actually a way to have the media characters help you to establish healthy dental hygiene habits within your child.
If your child is a Sesame Street lover there are several videos featuring Elmo and other beloved characters that can help your child learn to brush and floss their teeth. This will allow you to take a break from pestering them about brushing their teeth.
Also, having a fun character they love to teach it to them can really help it to stick and motivate them to actually do it.
5. Be Careful about Certain Medicines
A lot of child medications and medicines can be filled with sugar. As a result, it’s good to be careful about what types of medicines you give your child.
You should plan on your child brushing and flossing their teeth if the medicine you give them contains sugar. If you have more concerns about pediatric dental care, you should consult your child’s dentist.
Finally, these simple ways to protect your child’s teeth will help it develop into healthy ones well into their adulthood.
Giving babies pacifiers is a common concern among many parents.
- Are they going to become dependent on it?
- Will it cause dental problems later on?
- Is there anything wrong with giving them a pacifier?
These are all valid concerns. Get the answers you’ve been searching for – Are Pacifiers Harming Your Baby?
