Although it seems as if dental care shouldn't begin until your baby actually has teeth, dental professionals stress that oral care needs to begin as soon as your baby is born. You do not need to bring out a toothbrush and toothpaste, however. You do need to take sensible precautions and do some gentle cleaning right from the start.
Gum Cleaning
As soon as your baby is born, you need to begin gum care. You should clean your baby's gums after every feeding. All you need to use is a clean, damp washcloth. You then should softly massage your baby's gums with it. When your baby's gums begin to swell before they teethe, this practice should also help soothe their suffering.
Don't Share
Tooth decay is actually caused by bacteria that can be passed to your child by sharing utensils with them. If you clean off your baby's pacifier by putting it in your mouth, you might transmit the bacteria if you have some decay happening with your teeth. As a result, you should keep your saliva to yourself.
Bottle Decay
The biggest danger to your baby's new teeth is bottle decay. Parents are often guilty of letting their babies suck on a bottle until they fall asleep. Unfortunately, this practice lets your baby's teeth soak in the sugars that are in formula milk. They can experience bad tooth decay in the back of their mouths due to this practice. Instead, experts recommend giving your baby a bottle of water to suck on before they sleep. Also, you can try giving them a pacifier. Either one should help your child get to sleep without exposing their new teeth to harmful substances.
Dentist Appointments
Some dentists are now suggesting that you bring in your baby before age one just to make certain that things are developing normally. Doing so will also allow your dentist to catch the early signs of bottle decay. Healthy baby teeth pave the way for healthy adult teeth, so you cannot afford to neglect them.
You baby needs good dental care before they even have a single tooth. If you begin good practices as soon as your little one is born, you can set them on the road to healthy teeth and gums for life. What happens in your little one's mouth in that first year can make all the difference in their oral health future. Contact a dentist like Mainwaring John D DDS for more info.
Share20 September 2016
Do you have "bad teeth"? I do. Ever since I was a kid, every checkup turns up a number of issues ranging from cavities to dental fractures. It has always been frustrating to keep my smile in decent shape, which is one of the reasons I started focusing on understanding different dental problems. I wanted to know what I was getting into when I visited the doctor, so I began focusing on learning as much as I could. I wanted to create this blog all about dentistry so that other people could find out what to expect when they head to the dentist. Check it out!
