Young children will likely have an oral disease as soon as their first tooth erupts. Most childhood dental caries becomes more serious as the child progresses in life without dealing with the oral problem. Tooth decay occurs when prevalent mutants of streptococci and bacteria react to form an acid that removes minerals from teeth, causing cavities.
It is important to take your child to regular dental appointments as doing this allows your child’s dentist to examine the teeth for abnormalities, gum problems, cavities, and more. Factors that influence your child’s high cavity risk include enamel defects, high consumption of sugar, premature birth, poor oral hygiene, a mother with cavity problems, special oral health needs, et cetera. Caring for your little one’s teeth should be your top priority. Therefore, here is a guide to infant oral health care:
1. An Early Visit to the Dentist
The American Association of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children visit their pediatric dentist at six months old or around their first birthday. An early visit helps your infant dentist point out risk factors and provide the best solution before it gets serious.
You can make your child’s first visit very comfortable and exciting, as a successful first appointment can build your child’s trust and put them at ease during more visits in the future. As parents, try not to make a big deal of the visit. It is wrong to increase fear in your little one.
Usually, your child’s dentist provides the right information about your infant’s oral health. If you have poor oral habits, your infant dentist can speak to you about improving them, as parents’ poor oral hygiene significantly influences a kid’s risk of tooth decay.
2. Flossing and Brushing Teeth
Teeth brushing
Clean your infant’s gums after giving the bottle, and make sure your baby does not sleep with the bottle in their mouth. When you start practicing oral cleaning at an early age, it will be easy to teach your young child the need for proper teeth brushing. To ensure clean and strong teeth, your child must brush twice daily. Brushing every day is one of the best ways to prevent dental caries.
Flossing
Flossing is an oral cleaning exercise involving the removal of crumbs that food deposits in the tight areas of the teeth using dental floss. Doctors recommend that flossing in children should be reduced due to their weak teeth and gums.
However, if your little one has food bits like meat or other food particles stuck between the teeth, it can cause pain; therefore, assist the child in flossing or visit your child’s dentist to help you.
3. Recognize Baby Tooth
When Should Your Infant’s First Tooth Erupt?
Typically, the first tooth can appear around six months. But, tooth sprouting varies considerably. Therefore, some kids can erupt the first tooth as late as one year. When your child is between 6 and 8 years old, permanent teeth will start replacing baby teeth.
As your child grows into adulthood, permanent teeth total 32 in number, and caring for permanent teeth is pertinent. You can protect your child’s gums with dental sealants to prevent cavities.
4. Emergencies in Dentistry: Children’s Experience
Toothache can be prevented by using warm water containing salt to rinse the mouth and remove trapped food particles between the teeth. If the ache is severe and causes swelling in the face, apply a cold compress to the affected area or give the child acetaminophen, a temporary pain reliever. Afterward, take your child to see the dentist.
Bite or Cut on Lips, Inner Cheek, or Tongue:
Any oral emergency in children can be relieved by using ice on the injured areas. If your child is bleeding, use a soft clean cloth or sterile gauze to apply gentle pressure before you go to the emergency dental center.
Rinse the affected tooth with warm water before applying a cold compress. Recover the broken tooth and seek attention at an emergency dental center.
5. Common Oral Health Problems
Tooth decay
Children can have dental caries through poor hygiene or eating. Avoid giving your little one excessive sugar and starchy foods, as bacteria and acid can wreak havoc and wear away the child’s tooth enamel. Replace cookies, candy, soft drinks, and some fruit juices with healthy foods like vegetables, water, and foods rich in vitamins for healthy and strong teeth.
Gum disease
Periodontal problems or gum diseases can result in tooth loss, inflammation of the gums, and bone deterioration. Severe gingivitis leads to periodontitis, which can cause tooth loss in your child. You can prevent your child from having gum disease by encouraging and monitoring daily brushing and flossing.
Orthodontic Problems
Most children will show malocclusion while permanent teeth begin to take over baby teeth. Some bite alignment problems are due to heredity.
Your child’s bite problem can also be due to a missing tooth, developmental habits such as thumb sucking, crowded teeth, an uneven jaw, extra teeth, or accidents.
Your infant dentist can identify the problem early and recommend the right orthodontic solutions, such as wearing dental braces or undergoing surgery (for severe jaw misalignment).
Selecting a Pediatric Dentist
Choosing the best pediatric dentist for your child can be stressful. However, you can select the right pediatrist based on the following:
- Check if the dentist is certified and qualified to offer your child the best oral care.
- Ask family and friends to recommend a good pediatric dentist for your child.
- In the event of an oral emergency, consult a dentist in your area.
- Write down what to expect from your children’s dentistry.
The Benefits of a Pediatric Dentist
Your child requires a pediatric dentist instead of a general dentist, and here is why:
- Pediatric dentists have special training in providing care to children.
- Your child can visit a dentist in a kid-friendly environment.
- A pediatric dentist has expertise in all teeth-developing stages.
Conclusion
Your infant’s oral care is made easy in this guide. Now that you know essential things about your kid’s oral health, it is imperative to carry out good oral care practices on the child to help them develop strong and healthy teeth.