Dr. B B Sarkar

As a parent it is essential that you condition your kids with healthy dental maintenance habits.

Baby teeth play an important role in helping your child bite and chew food, and speak clearly.

ORAL HYGIENE FOR YOUR TODDLER

A toddlers’ dental care regime includes wiping your child’s gums with an infant gum massager, clean damp gauze or a washcloth.

Once your child’s teeth come in, brush them twice a day using a soft bristled toothbrush with water.

Research shows that children who develop cavities in their baby teeth are more likely to develop cavities as an adult, so be sure to get your child to a dentist for a checkup. It is important to keep your child’s baby teeth clean, but once the permanent teeth start to come in you really need to make cleaning them a priority. These teeth will last your child a lifetime.

Brushing

At some point, your child will want to brush his or her own teeth. It’s fine to give him a turn. But afterwards, you should always brush your child’s teeth a second time. Most children won’t be able to brush their teeth well on their own until they are about 6-8 years old. Use fluoride toothpaste only when your child is old enough NOT to swallow it.

Nutrition

While what your child eats is important for healthy teeth, how often a child eats is just as important. Cavities can develop when sugar-containing foods are allowed to stay in the mouth for a long time. Bacteria that live on the teeth feast on these bits of food. They create acid, which eats away at tooth enamel. Between meals or snacks, saliva washes away the acid. If your child is always eating, there may not be time for this acid to get washed away.

1st Dental Visit

New parents often ask, “When should my child first see a dentist?”

Your child should see a dentist by his or her first birthday.

Losing Baby Teeth

On average children begin to lose their baby teeth when they are about 6 or 7 years old. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with your child if they lose their teeth before or after this time.

Most children lose their teeth in the same order they came in.

For example, they lose their bottom center teeth first. When a child is about 6 years old their teeth will begin to come loose. Let your child wiggle the tooth until it falls out on its own. This will minimize the pain and bleeding associated with a lost tooth.

A word of caution -Remember!

Giving your child a bottle of sweetened liquid many times a day, or allowing your child to fall asleep with a bottle during naps, or at night, can be harmful to the child’s teeth.

Sing along the Smile Essentials Healthy Teeth Rhyme with your Kids!

Dab on some toothpaste on my colourful brush,

There is no hurry and I should not rush,

Slowly and steadily my teeth get clean,

As I brush all over and in between,

This may take a while,

But is very important for a great SMILE!

Many of the same treatment and evaluation options that adults have are also available to kids.

These include x-rays, dental sealants, orthodontic treatment and more.

Here are some tips on taking care of infants