Keeping Children’s Teeth Healthy

Teeth are an important part of our overall health and they need to be looked after and maintained to provide us with years of use and the ability to enjoy our natural teeth in our senior years. Tooth care starts at a young age, the sooner a person starts caring for their teeth and following a good oral health routine at home, the higher the chances are that they will continue using that routine for years to come.

It is imperative that as a parent, you ensure that your child’s teeth are taken care of. So many parents don’t understand that good oral health is just as important in milk teeth as in permanent teeth and it is their responsibility to promote oral health in the home and ensure their children don’t suffer from cavities and decay moving forward.

A child should start visiting the dentist as soon as their first tooth pushes through the gums. The dentist will provide valuable advice, helping you ensure you help your child enjoy good oral health now and in the future, including eliminating the risk of bottle tooth decay, which is common in younger children.

In fact, dental care starts before the first tooth pushes through the gums. Many mothers aren’t aware that their baby’s teeth are already forming during the second trimester of pregnancy and when their baby is born, the teeth are already formed in the jaw ready to start working their way through the gums.

Before the first tooth appears, you will want to wipe the baby’s mouth once a day with a damp washcloth. This can eliminate unwelcome bacteria and help keep the mouth clean and healthy, ready to welcome the first tooth.

Once a baby has their first tooth, you will want to continue wiping the baby’s mouth, except add a tiny spot of toothpaste to the cloth. From age two and over, you can start using a soft toothbrush and combine that with a pea sized amount of toothpaste, brushing each tooth with care.

Children should be supervised in oral care up to the age of five and should visit their dentist on a regular basis. Children experience the same oral risks as adults, this includes tooth decay, pain and may even be hospitalised to have decayed teeth extracted if the right oral care routine isn’t followed.