Children's Dental Care: Tips to Keep Their Teeth Healthy

Many parents think that they don't need to worry that much about dental care until their children get their adult teeth.  But by then, it's often too late.  In fact, it's important to start teaching your child good oral health from a very young age.

Start Young
From the time that your baby is born, they have critical oral health needs.  Even though actual teeth aren't physically showing yet, it is recommended that you wipe a baby's gums with a soft cloth after feedings.  This removes any excess residue of food plus helps your child get used to the feeling of having their teeth taken care of.  You can do the same thing with the first few early teeth that begin to appear.  Once the teeth are in, start using a small, soft-bristled toothbrush.

How to Brush Teeth
As your child continues to grow and more teeth appear, you can teach your child how to brush and care for teeth correctly.  Starting early is important in developing good oral habits.  Follow the below tips from the American Dental Assocation:

• Choose a soft, nylon bristled brush
• Use a very small amount, just a dab, of fluoridated toothpaste (children under age 8 have difficulty spitting out any excess toothpaste)
• Use a circular motion to clean the teeth
• Start brushing teeth top to bottom and back to front, to get the job done
• Help your child get hard-to-reach teeth
• Encourage brushing twice a day.  Have your child brush and then have a parent follow-up by brushing all the teeth again
• Teach your child to floss every day - there are small floss holders which help children hold the floss more easily

Make Good Choices
In additionn to ensuring good dental care, you can also help make sure your child makes good choices throughout the day.  For instance:

• Limit your child's sugar intake.  Too many sweet treats and drinks can wreck havoc on teeth.  Be careful what snacks you give your children, even healthy snacks can contain a high content of sugar
• Avoid letting your child sleep with a cup or bottle containing juice or milk, since the residue can sit on the teeth all night and cause decay
• Make sure your comunity has fluoride-enriched water.  If not, talk to your dentist about getting your child fluoride supplements
• See the dentist twice a year for regular check-ups starting at age one

More than Helping You Eat
You may think that your child's baby teeth are there for cosmetic purposes, which is indeed true.  But don't overlook the other uses for them, such as helping children to properly chew and eat their food.  Baby teeth are also essential "space holders" in the mouth to save room for the big teeth that will eventually replace them.  Further, baby teeth are also necessary to enable for speech development, so your child can learn to talk clearly.

With so much resting on the health of your child's mouth, it is important to give it the attention it requires.  Remember that a healthy mouth of strong, white teeth can help your child feel confident, while giving them something happy to smile about.