How do I take care of my baby’s teeth?
Most of the times parents think that these are just;milk teeth;and will eventually fall off. So, there is no need of brushing, rinsing, or taking care of them as we do for our permanent.
But that is not the case.
Milk teeth are as important as permanent teeth and taking care of them is needed for a lot of reasons.
1. Child can not eat well if the milk teeth are carious or fractured. This will lead to low weight, lethargic child, poor brain development, etc.
2. If the child has decayed or;discoloured front teeth;the appearance of the child is affected which leads to low self-esteem, and also sometimes bullying in the school.
3. The milk teeth act as space maintainers for the permanent teeth. If the milk teeth are lost early the eruption of the permanent teeth is affected. The tooth might be;crowding, change in time of eruption, malocclusion of teeth.
4. The speech of the child might be affected especially if the front teeth are;decayed;and lost early.
So, taking care of milk teeth is very important and it is the duty of the parent to maintain good oral hygiene for the child as the child still can not take care of his or her teeth on their own.
1. Brush Twice a Day
Brushing;twice a day is very important even for children.;Brush;your child’s teeth using a grain size of kids;age-appropriate fluoridated toothpaste;till the age of 3 years. After the age of 3 years use a pea size of toothpaste.
It is a myth that fluoridated;toothpaste;should be avoided. Only if fluoride levels in your drinking water is high, should fluoridated toothpaste be avoided. Otherwise always use a kid’s fluoridated toothpaste for your child as it helps in avoiding cavities.
2. Avoid Sticky Food
Anything that sticks to your teeth will cause cavities. So, avoid introducing sticky food like chocolate, chips and biscuits to your child. In case they are eating it make sure the number of times they eat it is not more than one. Also remember to brush their teeth afterwards or rinse the mouth thoroughly.;
3. Rinse After Every Meal
Rinsing after every meal cleans the teeth of all the food particles keeping it clean. Make sure your child gets into the habit of rinsing early in life. Occasionally you can give warm water with a pinch of salt to rinse the mouth.
4. Avoid Night Feed
Night feeds is one of the major causes of cavities in kids. And when you are giving your child formula or animal milk, they are at a higher chance of getting cavities. These cavities are known as;nursing bottle caries.
It might take time to adjust your child to no feeding during the night. In that case, you can:
Give a good dinner before the child sleeps so that the child is not hungry much during the night.
Give water immediately after the feed so that the teeth are clean and milk doesn’t deposit on the surface of the teeth.
5. Increase Water Intake
Increasing water uptake is good for both oral health as well as overall health. The water will keep the surface of the teeth clean and your child will have less chances of getting cavities.
Keep a sipper next to your child always and ask them to keep drinking water after short intervals.
6. Floss Once a Day


Most of the times the milk teeth have gaps in them. But in case your child’s milk teeth do not have gaps,;flossing;is important. It might be a little difficult but should be done to avoid cavities which start in between the teeth.


7. Visit a Dentist Once Every 6 Months The child’s;first dental visit;should be done by the child’s first birthday or within 6 months of eruption of the firth milk tooth, which ever is early.

After that a routine dental visit should be done once every 6 months. This will help in:

Fnding any problem if it is there early and treating early.

The child will get into a habit of dental visit and would be comfortable with the dentist.





There will be less;dental anxiety;through out life.





So, the dental health of the child is very important and it is a parent or a care givers duty to take care of it to provide the child with a healthy and happy smile.