Children are truly one of life’s miracles. They are able to see things differently than adults do, which gives them interesting and sometimes more in depth ways at perceiving and analyzing things. When they are properly nurtured (both mentally and physically) it stimulates the healthiest possible development which will help lead them into more successful lives.
When it comes to helping to promote the best physical development, oral care is important. Here are some important tips about early childhood tooth development:
-Start cleaning baby teeth and gums as soon as they erupt. Use damp gauze to clean them when they are just peeking and graduate to a soft tooth brush once they have erupted. Brush twice a day and floss once. Stick flossers are ideal for babies. Use safe-to-swallow, no-fluoride training toothpaste until your child learns to spit it out and then move on to the fluoridated toothpaste.
-Start cleaning baby teeth and gums as soon as they erupt. Use damp gauze to clean them when they are just peeking and graduate to a soft tooth brush once they have erupted. Brush twice a day and floss once. Stick flossers are ideal for babies. Use safe-to-swallow, no-fluoride training toothpaste until your child learns to spit it out and then move on to the fluoridated toothpaste. What’s to be done? Wean babies from the bottle around 12-14 months. Never let your child walk around with a bottle filled with milk for more than 20 minutes. When children fall asleep while having a bottle or breastfeeding, the milk remains in their mouth all night long. Bacteria present in the mouth breaks sugar down into acid causing tooth decay. Breastfeeding is great for children but after their first birthday, have a bottle of water ready to swap after feeding so that any residual milk or formula is rinsed down. Aim to gradually reduce the frequency with which you feed at night.
Getting your child on the right track and making sure their oral health is properly maintained (which includes regular visits to the Ottawa dentist) will make for a healthier life.
