Caring for your baby's teeth
While you may be prone to sleepless nights over your baby’s heath you may be worrying about the wrong things. Studies show that it isn’t asthma, obesity or juvenile diabetes you should be panicking over – it’s tooth decay, which is the single most common childhood disease in the US. Taking care of your baby’s teeth from the moment they cut through can help prevent it.
As soon as your baby’s teeth appear you should start giving them a gentle clean with a very soft brush once or twice a day after meals, using a smear of low-fluoride toothpaste. Older babies will enjoy trying to brush their teeth by themselves – encourage this, but be sure to go over their teeth again yourself to ensure they’ve been properly brushed, and use a child’s flosser to clean in between her teeth too.
By around three, your child should have mastered the basics of tooth brushing and flossing and be in a routine of brushing in the morning and evening, but the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends you do the main brushing session up until your child is five and continue to supervise tooth brushing up until your child is around 10. Watch gurgle's video for advice on how to clean your baby's teeth.
Regular visits to the dentist will hopefully help spot any early signs of tooth decay. The AAPD recommends you schedule your child’s first visit before she’s 12 months old.
Top tips for avoiding tooth decay
- Limit your child’s intake of sweets and sugary foods – try to encourage savory or fresh fruit snacks instead.?
- If your child has had something sugary to eat and you won’t be able to brush her teeth for a while encourage her to swish some water around her mouth and spit it out (or dribble it out!).
- Restrict sweet foods and candy to the end of a meal instead of between meals.
- Always dilute fruit juice with water before giving it to your child, as undiluted juice can cause decay.
- Don’t let your child drink sweetened juice or soda from a bottle, as this will constantly bathe her teeth in sugar. Serving juice in an open beaker and don’t allow your child to ‘graze’ from it.
- Eating cheese at the end of a meal can help neutralize the acid that causes tooth decay. If you’re having a picnic lunch, pack some cheese.
- Your baby needs plenty of calcium and vitamin D for healthy adult teeth – these can be found in dairy foods and fatty fish. If your baby is lactose-intolerant your pediatrician or a dietitian can advise on other sources of calcium.
• American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry www.aapd.org
The information on this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.