Some mistakes made by parents can cause harm to the teeth of their little ones. Children who have not yet had their permanent teeth should be carefully guided, to ensure that their oral health is protected.
It can be challenging to help a toddler develop good oral habits. However, a good parent can successfully handle the responsibility of taking care of their child’s oral health even though many regular dental mistakes can occur during this process.
There are mistakes you are not supposed to make when considering your child’s smile, even when they are still very young and their permanent tooth has not started to grow.
If they become relaxed about caring for their teeth and begin to neglect their teeth while they are still young, they will grow up ignoring their oral health as adults. Here are some mistakes parents should avoid with their child’s smile.
Taking The Child Late For A Pediatric Dental Visit
It is important to take your child to the dentist as early as possible, even before they begin to sprout their first tooth. Discovering that your child has a severe dental problem when they have already started losing their baby teeth can be a result of their late visit to the dentist.
The problem that underlies late dental check-ups is that your child may have had early dental issues that were not detected because you neglected an early dental appointment.
Some toddlers or children who have not to lose their baby tooth may begin to have serious oral health issues such as advanced gum disease like gingivitis or large dental cavities.
This kind of dental problem will require more attention and more serious treatment. Children who start an early dental visit are less likely to nurse fear for such appointments later in their lives. They also maintain a better oral care habit as they become adults.
Consuming Sweet Snacks, Sports Drinks, And Juice Frequently
If you continually offer sweet snacks, sports drinks, and beverages to your little one, you will regret the outcome in a bad way because every sip of these sweetened substances can be harmful to the teeth.
When sweetened drinks or foods are consumed in a careless amount, it alters the acidity of the saliva. Even though this observable fact is an expected occurrence, required for digesting food, the issue is that it can cause damage to the teeth.
Changes in acidity can trigger a mouth acid attack that lingers for about 20 minutes after consuming sweet or sticky food. This can be harmful to the dental enamel of a child and can lead to cavity risk.
Children who consume juices or sports drinks throughout the day can have issues related to tooth decay because acid mixed with saliva in the mouth softens the tooth enamel and makes it easy for bacteria to cause more havoc by eating into the surface of the tooth.
You should replace unhealthy food and drinks with healthy ones to enhance your child’s oral health. You can offer your child unsweetened drinks, such as water throughout the day. Reserve the sweet beverages, juices, sports drinks, and milk for special events.
Leaving A Baby To Sleep With A Bottle In The Mouth
It is wrong to put your child to bed with a feeding bottle full of formula or juice. Allowing a bottle or a sippy cup in your child’s mouth while they are asleep can cause an accumulation of bacteria and sugar levels in the child’s mouth, and these are retained for a long period.
Study shows that about 85% of parents are aware of the dangers relating to putting babies to sleep with a bottle full of juice and milk. Nevertheless, about 20% of parents in this category leave a bottle in their baby’s mouth. This can cause a baby to have a bottle mouth, and it is unattractive to behold.
The right thing to do before putting your baby to bed is to take the bottle out of their mouth as soon as the child has had enough. Wipe off the baby’s mouth with a neat washcloth. Even though the baby wakes at midnight to have a bottle of milk, immediately wipe the milk off the mouth before putting the baby back to sleep.
Not Guiding The Child On Early Dental Habits
Brushing is an important factor that enhances good oral health. Ignoring this can be harmful as early introduction of oral care practice such as daily brushing can help a child to form a progressive oral habit.
Do not neglect even the baby’s gums. Before your child begins to sprout the first teeth, regularly clean their gums, using a baby toothbrush and water or a clean soft cloth. The baby will get used to having the mouth cleaned and it will be easier to brush their teeth when it begins to erupt.
When brushing the baby’s teeth, apply a little toothpaste on the brush. Brushing early will help the child to enjoy a comfortable habit over time. As the child gets older, caring for their teeth becomes a priority.
Guide every brushing session if your child is too young to brush alone. Help them place the brush at the perfect angle for a successful brushing. Teach your older kids to brush properly and ensure it is done twice a day and must last for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Flossing is as important as brushing as it gets rid of food particles hiding in between the teeth. Encourage your child to practice flossing at an early age. You can consult a toddler dentist in Weston to recommend some flossing techniques.
Conclusion
Children who have not lost their baby tooth can still have dental problems, but these problems sometimes manifest due to the mistakes made by parents and lack of guidance.
As parents, you must be careful what you allow your child to consume orally. Stop them from eating sweet snacks and drinking sweetened liquids to keep them safe from tooth decay.
Help your child to practice good oral cleaning by introducing it at an early age. Any child that is accustomed to a healthy practice will grow up maintaining it in adulthood.