Good dental care begins before a baby's first tooth appears. Just because you can't see the teeth doesn't mean they aren't there! You can start caring for baby's gums right away. But at first, the care won't involve a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Even before your baby starts teething, run a clean, damp washcloth over the gums to clear away harmful bacteria.
Start cleaning baby's teeth when they appear (6 months)
You can start cleaning your baby’s teeth by wiping with a soft cloth or brushing with a small soft toothbrush and water.
Cleaning and brushing teeth removes plaque (the build-up on teeth) that causes tooth decay.
At 18 months start using a pea sized amount of low-fluoride toothpaste to brush your child's teeth. Encourage your child to spit out toothpaste after brushing, but not rinse. Clean all surfaces of the teeth and gums twice a day .
Around age 2, your child should learn to spit while brushing. Avoid giving your child water to swish and spit because this can make swallowing toothpaste more likely.
You should brush your baby's teeth until he or she is old enough to hold the brush. Continue to supervise the process until your child can rinse and spit without assistance. That usually happens at around age 7.
Keep on the look for any signs of baby tooth decay -- brown or white spots or pits on the teeth. Even babies can get tooth decay. Putting a baby to sleep with a bottle can harm a baby's teeth. Sugars from juice, formula, or milk that stay on a baby's teeth for hours can eat away at the enamel (the layer of the tooth that protects against tooth decay). This can lead to "bottle mouth" or "baby bottle tooth decay." Sugary foods, juices, candy (especially sticky gummy candy, gummy vitamins, or fruit leather or "roll-ups") can erode enamel and cause cavities. If your kids eat these foods, have them rinse their mouth or brush their teeth after eating to wash away the sugar. When this happens, the front teeth can get discolored, pocked, and pitted. Cavities might form, If you or your pediatrician notices any problems, take your child to a Dentistfor a check up.
If a child seems to be at risk for cavities or other problems, the dentist may start applying topical fluoride even before all teeth come in .Fluoride hardens the tooth enamel, helping to ward off the most common childhood oral disease i.e dental cavities.
As kids grow, plan on routine dental checkups anywhere from once every 3 months to once a year, depending on your dentist's recommendations. Keeping sugary foods in check, encouraging regular brushing and flossing, and working with your dentist will lead good dental health.
Our team of Om Dental Nagpur can provide you with even more information keeping your teeth in top condition. For more information, give us a call today on +91 8308729144 or visit us at https://omdentalnagpur.com
Additional Reading: Why to brush twice daily?