Dental Care – Kids. Easy Practices, Tips & Instructions.

Children’s health is most important for parents. If children’s oral health is good then children always remain healthy. If parents inculcate the habit of proper dental care in their children at an early age, then this habit will accompany them throughout their life and in return their oral health will always be good. This blog provides you with many valuable & proven tips about children’s dental care. Be advised as Children’s Health starts with Dental Care.

Dental care for Newborns.

A child has teeth at the time of birth. But we cannot see them because they are in the gums. When the child turns about 6 months old, teeth start emerging from his gums. Before the baby’s first tooth emerges, his mouth should be properly taken care of. Because if the gums are healthy, the teeth are also healthy.

Wipe the baby’s gums with a clean and soft cloth after feeding. This destroys the germs (bacteria) that cause tooth decay.

When Child’s teeth start coming in, use a soft bristle toothbrush. Use a small amount of fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice. Brush child’s teeth twice a day. Fluoride is a mineral found in the soil and water. It strengthens tooth enamel (the hard outer covering of the teeth). By keeping the enamel strong, fluoride helps prevent cavities.

When a child drinks plain milk, formula / formulated milk or juice from a bottle and goes to sleep with the bottle in his mouth, tooth decay starts. This is called as ‘baby bottle tooth decay’. To avoid this, it is very important that after the child drinks milk/juice etc., remove the bottle from the child’s mouth before sleeping.

To maintain good dental health, it is important that you visit your pediatrician for a dental checkup before your child turns one year old or as soon as his or her first tooth comes in.

Dental Care for Young Children.

As children grow, it is important to instill good dental hygiene habits in them. By the age of three years, children have all their teeth, which we call ‘primary teeth’. Around the age of 6, these teeth fall out and permanent teeth begin to emerge. New teeth start emerging from the cracks of milk teeth and this process goes on till the age of 13 years. Children’s teeth should be taken care of in this manner from the third year of age.

Brush children’s teeth with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste and make sure the child spits out the toothpaste after brushing. Please keep a watch as child is not swallowing the paste.

It is important to ensure that children are brushing their teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day. Cleaning the teeth (with brushing and flossing) prevents the buildup of plaque. Plaque is a clear, sticky material made up of bacteria (germs). It can build up and lead to: Cavities & / or Gum disease.

Parents must start flossing when child’s teeth start coming closer to each other or even before that.

Help children brush and floss their teeth and remind them frequently to brush their back teeth.

Parents should take their children to the dentist every 6 months for regular teeth check-ups, emphasizing the importance of caring for baby’s teeth.

Dental Care for Children before they enter Adolescence.

As children grow up and their permanent teeth emerge, they need extra care to keep their teeth and gums healthy. But it is difficult to make children of this age aware about dental health. Be sure to try the following solutions to develop dental hygiene habits.

Children of this age are more conscious about their appearance. So make them understand that only if your teeth are good and healthy, you will look better.

Brushing teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste strengthens them and prevents decay. Explain to children that it does not cause bad breath and fresh breath increases self-confidence. Kids can enjoy brushing their teeth using the Power Brush or Electric Toothbrush. So, make them know about this too, if the need be.

Flossing is necessary at this age because permanent teeth are forming. This will prevent cracks in the teeth and the mouth will also remain clean.

Do encourage children engaged in outdoor sports to utilize a mouth guard during play to safeguard their teeth from potential injuries.

The most important thing is not to ignore subtle dental complaints in children and consult your dentist if necessary. Because Dental Care / Oral Health of children – Healthy teeth are a sign of good health.

Credit for all this valuable information – Dr. Rucha Vaze Mokashi. Dental Surgeon and Implantologist, Pune

Easy Tips to help children brush their teeth properly.

While doing brushing at initial stages, guide your child’s hand so they can feel the correct movement. Always ask to brush in up down direction only. Horizontal direction brushing can develop gap between teeth.

Use a mirror to help your child see exactly where the brush is cleaning their teeth. It helps a lot for complete / end to end brushing.

In case child is resisting or not doing brushing properly, try to make brushing little fun. You may use a timer to time it for about 2 minutes or like wise ideas.

Don’t let children run around with a toothbrush in their mouth, as they may have an accident and hurt themselves. Do not allow a habit of keeping the toothbrush in mouth & doing other activities like reading books / Mobile or watching TV etc.

Make sure child is brushing softly. Brushing must not be with a force on teeth. At the same time. cleaning has to be done at every corner of mouth. It is better if child makes brushing ( at least gargling) after having a sweet food intake.

Ensure that kids are not using any pointed objects to clean the teeth. Generally this habit is adopted by adults & kids then follow it unknowingly.

Brush should not be kept near toilet or in attached bathroom. Bacteria presence in such areas is too high. Always prefer to keep brush in a cleanest places. Do not brush in attached bathroom, to the possible extent.

Changing brush after 6 months or so is a good habit. Do not ever brush with broken bristles. Do wash the brush properly after every use. Prefer a toothbrush with a cap. This adds more safety to brush / bristles.

Keep your child engaged to raw food whenever possible. Eating raw fruits, vegetables always helps to keep teeth strong. Avoid excess use of added sugar based drinks. Ensure child does brushing after eating sticky food like cakes / pastry. Otherwise sticky food items can remain on the teeth for a longer period & can cause harm to tooth.

Inculcate the habit of doing soft massage on gums too. Strong gums are needed for strong teeth. Cleaning of tongue is equally important.

Remove Yellowness of Teeth at Home.

Your smile adds to your beauty, no matter what your age is. But if the teeth are yellow, it will not only impact of your smiling face but may cause toothache too. You can do some home remedies to get rid of this yellowness. Let us know about them too.

Make a paste by mixing two spoons of sea salt in one spoon of lemon juice. Brush it slowly on the teeth with the help of a brush (or finger). Trying this two to three times a week will help in removing yellowness of teeth. This gives natural shine to the teeth.

Mix two spoons of lemon juice in one spoon of baking soda. Apply this paste on teeth and keep it for 3 to 4 minutes. Then wash with water. The bleaching property of baking soda helps in cleaning teeth.

To whiten your teeth, you can gargle by mixing two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a cup of water. This also helps in eliminating bad breath.

Organic coconut oil contains lauric acid. This removes yellowness of teeth and strengthens teeth. For this, apply a few drops of oil on the teeth. Massage with fingers. Rinse after five minutes.

Bananas contain Potassium. This removes both yellowness and bad smell of teeth. For this, rub banana pieces on the teeth and massage. Wash with warm water after five minutes. This makes the teeth clean and shiny.

Conclusion:

I hope you liked this completely informative and valuable blog regarding children’s dental care, oral health, dental safety and precautions.

I would also like to tell you that dental treatment is not an easy matter. This takes time as well as money. Therefore, the best and easiest way is to take precautions to protect your teeth from the very beginning. You have certainly accomplished a commendable task once you have instilled the habit of dental care in your kids.
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