Children’s Oral Health

In honor of Children’s Dental Health Month, our Gentle Dental team wanted to discuss the importance of your child’s oral health. Oral health is directly linked to your overall health, making it imperative to practice good oral hygiene at a young age. 

Below, our Bethlehem GA dentists share everything you need to know about your child’s oral health, from the beginning of their lives to their teenage years. 

Infant’s Oral Health

While most infants do not begin to have teeth until they are six months old, infant dental care is important from the very beginning. Many dentists recommend an initial visit before the child’s first birthday to ensure that teeth and gums are properly cared for and cleaned.

It’s a good idea to get into the habit of cleaning your baby’s gums soon after birth. Although there may be a bit of noise at first, your baby will get used to having the mouth cleaned like other parts of the body. Many children grow up to enjoy tooth brushing as part of their daily routine.

During the first year of your child, our Bethlehem GA pediatric dentist says that you need to be aware of, including:

Teething

Between 3 and 9 months, your infant’s baby teeth will begin to erupt in the mouth. Teething may make your child irritable or upset and may cause restlessness, drooling, or loss of appetite. However, it has not been shown to cause any other symptoms of childhood.

Baby Bottles & Tooth Decay

Baby bottle tooth decay is one of the most important issues in infant tooth care. This condition is caused by frequent exposure over time to sugary liquids. This can cause serious damage to the teeth of the baby and to overall oral health.

Use of the Pacifier

Sucking is a normal part of development that comforts children well into their first years of life. In fact, sucking often brings comfort even after a child no longer needs to get food from a breast or bottle. During the first few years of a child, sucking habits probably won’t damage his or her mouth.

Thumbsucking

Thumbsucking is a natural reflex for children. Additionally, babies do it in the womb. It’s soothing, and a lot of kids stop by themselves around the ages of 2 to 4. Thumbsucking is certainly nothing to worry about with infants, and may even help them to fall asleep more quickly. Problems can arise when children have a lot of active sucking, especially when their permanent teeth begin to come in. Your dentist can provide advice on how to monitor the situation.

Toddler’s Oral Health

Teething is generally thought to be part of childhood, but the teeth are still coming in for a lot of toddlers. 4th Street Family Dentistry, the family dentist in St. Pete FL, explains that some molars may not even come in until they are 2 years old. You might find cool, refrigerated teething rings helpful—or you might want to check with your pediatrician if over-the-counter pain medications might be appropriate.

The bodies of infants are changing, but so are their temperaments. They’re starting to have their own ideas about what they want to wear, eat, and do, which can convince them to do a tricky brush. As with all things, try to make toothbrushing a fun activity to increase your level of success.

In the early years, you’ll want to keep an eye on issues like:

Teeth Brushing

Toddlers need to brush twice a day with the help of an adult. They can use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste starting around 2 years of age when they can brush without swallowing. Special toothpaste and toothbrushes with their favorite characters and children’s friendly flavors can help them get excited about brushing too.

Your Child’s Cavities

It’s a great time to start taking your baby to the dentist regularly to check for cavities. Twice a year is standard, and a pediatric dentist is a great option if there is one in your area because they are pros with small children. Toddlers might even have cavities, and baby teeth need fillings, just like permanent teeth.

Nutrition

Children can be picky eaters, but our Our family dentistry in Bethlehem GA suggests trying to serve vegetables in a variety of ways, and offer milk with meals to help combat the acids that can bleach the enamel. A diet low in processed sugar can help keep children’s cavities free, and lots of fruits, vegetables, and water are good for everyone’s oral health, including infants.

School-Aged Child’s Oral Health 

As your child grows up, keep taking good care of their baby teeth. While they eventually fall out, baby teeth play an important role in helping your child bite and chew food, and speak out clearly. Baby teeth also save space for permanent teeth and help guide them to their place.

Below the baby teeth of your child, the roots and position of the adult teeth are growing. Research shows that children who develop cavities in their baby teeth are more likely to develop cavities than adults, so be sure to keep the habit of giving priority to regular dental checks. It’s important to keep your child’s baby teeth clean, but once the permanent teeth begin to come in, you really need to make cleaning them a priority. These teeth are going to last your child a lifetime.

During the years of your child, you might have questions about:

Brushing & Flowing

You probably started using toothpaste to brush your child’s teeth when they were around 2 years old and started flossing once a day as soon as two teeth touch each other. But they probably want to do it themselves with an older kid. It’s terrific to give them a turn. After that, you should check their work and brush your teeth a second time. Most kids won’t be able to brush their teeth on their own until they’re about 8 years old.

Losing of Teeth

Kids lose 20 baby teeth for five to seven years—and it’s really exciting for them! The first wiggly tooth usually appears when it’s about 5 or 6 years old, but it can happen as late as 8 years old. You can encourage children to keep wiggling until the tooth can fall on its own, and remember that it may take a couple of months for the tooth to be fully ready to fall out.

The Importance of Your Child’s Dental Health

As you can see, instilling good habits at an early age is everything to your child’s overall oral health. Dr. Uyen Hoang, the best dentist in Bethlehem GA recommends that your child sees the dentist twice a year to ensure that they are on the right track.

For pediatric dentistry in Bethlehem GA, contact Gentle Dental Group today.