Oral Health for Toddlers: 10 Ways to Protect Your Child's Teeth

 

Saying that “People avoid taking good care of their oral health and their youngsters’ oral health,” won’t be an understatement. However, the figures are enough to validate how this negligence will soon turn into a slow epidemic.

Talking about the figures, you will be astonished that 1 out of every 5 children is carrying an untreated tooth decay, 25% of children falling in the age group of 5 to 19 years old have cavities and various other oral issues.

Therefore, it becomes more critical than ever to pay attention to your child’s oral health at the initial stages to avoid the later regrets

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Follow these simple steps stringently to protect your child’s teeth and cultivate good oral practices in him/her.

Start early

Paying attention to your little one's oral health even before they develop their teeth is a practice worth following. All you need to do is clean their gums with a soft damp cloth to ensure nothing clings to them after giving a feed. The bacteria can be harmful to the gums, so make sure to get rid of it.

Start seeing a dentist

The moment your child turns one, it's time you start setting appointments with the dentist. Early precautions are always better than cure. However, children may deny visiting the dentist but helping you out, here are some tips to prepare your child to visit the dentist. 

Regular dental checkups of your child help restrict any oral health issues at any age and thus save a lot of bucks. It spots the onset of any oral problem or other health issues that begin from the mouth at an early stage. Thus, you can go for substantial treatment before the condition worsens.

Brushing and flossing are must

As soon as your child gets his first molar, incline them towards the habit of brushing the teeth twice a day. However, until they understand how to brush every corner of their mouth, as parents, it is your responsibility to help them. In the beginning, try using a brush with soft bristles and don’t miss the fluoridated toothpaste.  

Talking about flossing, start it when their teeth start touching each other. Flossing is a practice that needs to be performed just before your child goes to bed. For knowing better techniques and brushing habits, consult your dentist.

Teaching them good habits

As parents, it's imperative to follow a proper hygiene oral routine, because our kids imitate us and thus cultivate those habits. So, to teach them good practices of oral health, you ought to follow yourself. 

To incorporate the habit of brushing teeth, try brushing together twice a day. Tell them the importance of flossing and how teeth can get damaged if they avoid their oral health. Avoid the intake of food just before going to bed, as it tends to increase the cavities. Tell them the importance of regular dentist check ups.

Avoid baby bottles

Don’t let your baby take a nap with a bottle of juice or milk or formula. Such sugary substances often cling to your baby’s teeth and become the source of feed for bacteria that leads to tooth decay. 

The only substance that doctors recommend while your baby goes to bed is water, else; every other liquid can be harmful.

Drop the pacifier

The moment your child turns 2 or 3 years old, it is best to ditch the pacifier as it may affect his/her teeth in the long term. Pacifiers often lead to the shape deformation of teeth. So, it is recommended to consult the dentist if your child still uses a pacifier.

Say no to sugar

If your child ingests sugars, it will take 30 minutes only for the saliva to neutralize the acidity caused by sugar leading to the decay in the tooth. A sweet nibble each hour can mean your child’s mouth is consistently prone to bacteria, expanding the odds for tooth rot. So, avoid food or liquid that contains sugar.

Feed them a healthy diet

Brushing your child’s teeth is not enough for maintaining good oral hygiene. You ought to ensure they intake a balanced and good food diet as well. It is imperative to take care of your child with a reasonable eating routine for substantial development and improvement. Pick leafy foods, lean proteins, and dairy items and breaking point high-sugar nourishments and beverages. 

Try to include fluoride in your child’s diet.

Consider sealants

Sealants successfully protect your child’s teeth from cavities and the fillings. So, consult the expert dentist and then only get your child’s teeth sealed.

Don’t share germs

Sharing is the purest form of caring, but when it comes to oral health, try avoiding the sharing part like using the same utensils, pacifiers, sippy cups, bottles, or other items of your kids with others. Sharing things can pass the bacteria of one’s mouth into another, causing harm that may even end in tooth decay. Sanitize every belonging of your kid to avoid bacterial infections.

A word from Rishi’s Dental Care

Tooth decays, cavities or other oral health issues won’t take much time turning into disastrous health issues. So, it is critical to pay attention to oral health at an early stage and cultivate every good oral habit in your child, as mentioned above. 

We, the team at Rishi Dental Care, sell smiles to people of every age. We have been serving the community with a full range of dedicated dental services, state-of-the-art technology, and clinical excellence at our best dental clinic in Amritsar for years. 

Our years of experience, dental excellence, and unstinting focus in providing dental care services have helped patients enhance their oral health and maintain consistency in their oral regime. We are successfully performing conclusive diagnosis and treatment procedures for patients of every age at every stage.