Posted by : Javier Francia in (Dental health)
How to care for your child’s teeth
Tagged Under : children, Dental health, dental hygiene, dentistry, parenting
Caring for your child’s teeth can never begin too early. You can start a dental care routine even before the baby’s first milk teeth have come through; brush the baby’s gums with small soft toothbrush at bathtime and this will establish brushing as an essential part of the routine.
When the first milk tooth comes through (usually when the baby is about six months old), you need to start brushing the baby’s teeth using a fluoride toothpaste. This can help to strengthen the teeth and also help to prevent tooth decay. For children under three the toothpaste should contain at least 1,000 parts per million of fluoride, whilst for children between the ages of three and six it should contain between 1,350 and 1,500 parts per million. You should be able to find this information on the toothpaste packaging. The teeth should be brushed at least twice a day (last thing at night and at one other time during the day), or if possible after each meal, and the brushing should take at least two minutes. Use a small-headed toothbrush suitable for the child’s age, and a blob of toothpaste no bigger than a pea.
Once your child is old enough to brush his or her own teeth, then let them do so – but you need to continue to supervise the brushing to ensure that the child is brushing correctly. Use an egg-timer to time the full two minutes and make the brushing fun. Some dentists give their young patients egg-timers for this purpose.
It is also important for the child to visit a dentist regularly, and NHS dental care is free for children. A routine check-up every six months is recommended. Lead by example. Have your own teeth checked regularly, and when you go for your own dental check-ups, take your child with you so that he or she can get used to the environment and get to know the dentist. By the time the child is two he or she should also be having regular dental check-ups. Be positive about the dental visits and make then fun. It sometimes helps to let the child take along a favourite teddy bear – a good dentist will put the child at ease by pretending to look at Teddy’s teeth too.
One major cause of tooth decay is sugar, which is turned into acid as a result of bacterial activity in the mouth. This acid gradually dissolves the tooth enamel. Keep a close eye on your child’s consumption of sugar (both foods and drinks), and ideally ensure that sugary foods and drinks are only consumed when the child can brush his or her teeth immediately afterwards. If your child has to take medicine, ask the doctor or pharmacist if there is a sugar-free version of the medicine available.
Older children can be encouraged to monitor the effectiveness of their brushing technique by the periodic use of plaque-disclosers. These are tablets which, when chewed, stick to dental plaque and stain it a bright colour. This plaque, once revealed, needs to be completely removed by thorough brushing.
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