The Importance Of Taking Care Of Baby Teeth
First-time mothers often have doubts about when to start caring for their baby’s baby teeth.
After consulting the recommendations of several pediatric dentists, we were able to reach a conclusion that meets the opinion of most experts. From six months onwards, when the first teeth start to appear, care must begin.
Calcium consumption through breast milk is one of the essential factors in the care of children’s teeth. A good dose of calcium will allow children’s baby teeth to grow. When breastfeeding babies or giving the bottle, we are taking care of food and health, including teething in this process.
How to care for baby teeth before the first year
When our children reach the first semester of life, exclusive breastfeeding – recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) – begins to be combined with other foods such as fruits and soups.
Thus, children’s mouths will be more exposed to other agents that can become foci of infections.
Of course, before the first year of age it is not advisable to use toothpaste. But from six months onwards, mothers can wipe their babies’ gums with a clean, damp cloth.
By rubbing the gums you will be removing the remains of milk and will also be doing a massage that will relieve the discomfort caused by the appearance of the first teeth.
When it comes to babies this small, the recommendation is to start cleaning your teeth with a silicone finger pad designed especially for your index finger.
This tool is perfect for massaging the gums and cleaning the first little teeth. Finger cots are so soft your baby will think it’s your finger. Thus, it will not resist cleaning.
This small finger cot is ideal because in the frontal region it has small pores or reliefs that facilitate cleaning. In this way, cleaning the baby’s mouth will be a simple and pleasant task for both of them.
The perfect age to make the habit
Brushing is a routine that should be applied little by little. For this reason, we insist on starting to apply minimally invasive techniques with which we can guarantee the oral hygiene of our children.
The goal is that, when they are a year old, you can change the silicone finger pad for a soft bristle brush to improve cleaning.
Make every toothbrushing session a fun experience.
Ideally, just as we adults do, you brush your child’s teeth after meals. But, always bearing in mind that a baby should be fed every three hours, you can try cleaning these little teeth three times a day.
It is likely that some children resist brushing a bit. If this is the case, you can reduce the number of daily sessions. Thus, brushing when the child gets up and when he goes to sleep.
Moms Advice
From the age of two, children will ask to brush their baby teeth by themselves. But the problem is that they are still too small to brush properly.
In that case, the best thing to do is to take turns. Tell your little one that after you clean his teeth, he’ll have a chance to do it again and alone.
Many mothers agree on the importance of toothpaste not having fluoride. This proposal is in line with the claims of dentists. They recommend that toothpaste be made from natural ingredients. In this way, it is possible to prevent the risk of the child ingesting fluoride paste, due to the difficulty in spitting.
Take advantage of cartoons or children’s series to show your children that beautiful smiles are the result of a good cleaning. That way, they will be more willing and happy to brush your pretty and delicate little teeth.
