How Do I Care for My Toddler’s Teeth?

Passing on good oral habits to your child is one of the most important health lessons you can teach them. This means helping him or her brush twice a day, showing the proper way to floss, limiting between-meal snacks and seeing your dentist regularly.

Most dentists recommend that children start their dental visits by the age of two. In addition to giving your dentist a chance to monitor your child’s dental growth and development, this is your chance to learn about tooth development, the need for fluoride, how to help your child maintain proper oral hygiene, how to deal with your child’s oral habits (such as pacifier use), diet and nutrition, and how to prevent oral injuries.

Always emphasize that a dental visit is a positive experience. Explain to your child that visiting the dentist helps maintain good oral health. By fostering a positive attitude, you’ll increase the chances that your child will see a dentist regularly throughout life.

What Should I Do When My Toddler’s Teeth Begin to Erupt?

Teeth start to erupt at about six months and continue until age three. This causes many children to have tender gums, which can make them irritable. It helps to rub the gums with your finger, a small cool spoon or a frozen teething ring that’s been placed in the freezer. There are also pain relief gels and medications available for use when babies are teething. Ask your dentist or pediatrician about these medications. If your child has a fever when teething, it’s best to contact your physician to rule out the possibility of some other kind of condition.

What’s the Proper Way to Brush My Toddler’s Teeth?

It’s a good idea to supervise your child’s brushing until the age of six, following the guidelines below:

• Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Take care that your child doesn’t swallow the paste.
• Use a toothbrush with soft bristles, brush inside surfaces of all teeth first, where plaque accumulates most. Angle bristles toward the gumline. Brush gently back and forth.
• Clean all outside surfaces of teeth. Angle bristles toward the gumline. Brush gently back and forth.
• Place brush so bristles are on the chewing surface of the teeth. Brush gently back and forth.

How Do I Care for My Baby’s Teeth?

Good oral care starts from the beginning of your child’s life. Even before his or her first teeth emerge, certain factors can affect their future appearance and health. For instance, tetracycline, a common antibiotic, can cause tooth discoloration. For this reason, they should not be used by nursing mothers or by expectant mothers in the last half of pregnancy.Since baby teeth usually emerge around six months of age, standard oral health procedures like brushing and flossing aren’t required for infants. However, infants have special oral health needs that every new parent should know about. These include guarding against baby bottle decay and making sure your child is receiving enough fluoride.

What Is Baby Bottle Decay and How Can I Prevent it?

Baby bottle decay is caused by frequent exposure, over time, to liquids containing sugars. These include milk, formula, and fruit juices. The sugary liquids pool around the teeth for long periods of time as your baby sleeps, leading to cavities that first develop in the upper and lower front teeth. For this reason, you shouldn’t let your baby fall asleep with a bottle of juice or milk in his mouth. Instead, at naptime, give your child a bottle filled with water or a pacifier recommended by your dentist. If you breast-feed, avoid letting the baby nurse continuously. And after each feeding, wipe your baby’s teeth and gums with a clean, damp washcloth or a gauze pad.

What Is Fluoride and How Do I Know if My Baby is Getting the Right Amount?
Fluoride is beneficial even before your child’s teeth begin to erupt. It strengthens the tooth enamel as the teeth are forming. In many municipal water supplies, the right amount of fluoride is present for proper tooth development. If your water supply does not contain any (or enough) fluoride, talk to your pediatrician or dentist about fluoride drops that can be given to your baby daily. If you use bottled water for drinking and cooking, be sure to tell your doctor or dentist. They may prescribe fluoride supplements for the baby.

What Happens During a Dental Visit?

First, it is important to find a dentist with whom you feel comfortable. Once you’ve found a dentist you like, your next step is to schedule a check-up – before any problems arise.

On your first visit to a dentist, they will take a full health history. On subsequent visits, if your health status has changed, make sure to tell them.

Most dental visits are checkups. Regular checkups (ideally every six months) will help your teeth stay cleaner, last longer and can prevent painful problems from developing.

• A thorough cleaning: Checkups almost always include a complete cleaning, either from your dentist or a dental hygienist. Using special instruments, a dental hygienist will scrape below the gumline, removing builtup plaque and tartar that can cause gum disease, cavities, bad breath and other problems. Your dentist or hygienist may also polish and floss your teeth.
• A full examination: Your dentist will perform a thorough examination of your teeth, gums and mouth, looking for signs of disease or other problems. His or her goal is to help maintain your good oral health and to prevent problems from becoming serious, by identifying and treating them as soon as possible.
• X-rays: Depending on your age, risks of disease and symptoms, your dentist may recommend X-rays. X-rays can diagnose problems otherwise unnoticed, such as damage to jawbones, impacted teeth, abscesses, cysts or tumors, and decay between the teeth. A modern dental office uses machines that emit virtually no radiation – no more than you would receive from a day in the sun or a weekend watching TV. As a precaution, you should always wear a lead apron when having an X-ray. And, if you are pregnant, inform your dentist, as X-rays should only be taken in emergency situations.Your dentist may ask for a Panoramic X-ray, or Panorex. This type of film provides a complete view of your upper and lower jaw in a single picture, and helps the dentist understand your bite and the relationship between the different teeth and your arch.

How Long Should I Go Between Visits?

If your teeth and gums are in good shape, you probably won’t need to return for three to six months. If further treatment is required – say to fill a cavity, remove a wisdom tooth, or repair a broken crown – you should make an appointment before leaving the office. And don’t forget to ask your dentist any questions you may have-this is your chance to get the answers you need.

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How Do I Look for a Dentist?

A good place to start is by asking for a referral from people you trust – your friends, family, acquaintances, work associates, pharmacist or family doctor. Ask them how long they’ve gone to their dentist, how comfortable they feel asking questions, what type of dentist they go to (general or specialist). It is important that you find a dentist with whom you feel comfortable.

What Kind of Dentist Should I Look for?

General dentists are trained to do all types of treatment. If you have difficult or unusual problems, your dentist may refer you to one of the following specialists:

• Pediatric Dentists/Pedodontists specialize in pediatric (children’s) dentistry.
• Endodontists diagnose and treat diseased tooth pulp and perform root canal work (many general dentists also perform root canals).
• Prosthodontists specialize in crowns, bridges and dentures.
• Oral pathologists use laboratory procedures to diagnose diseases of the mouth. They also specialize in forensic dentistry.
• Oral/Maxillofacial surgeons perform surgical treatments, such as removing cysts, tumors, and teeth. They can correct fractures or other jaw problems that require surgery, including temperomandibular joint (TMJ). They also use methods similar to those of plastic surgery to treat cosmetic problems of the jaw and face.
• Orthodontists correct improperly positioned teeth, using braces and other appliances to move teeth into a better position.
• Periodontists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of gum disease.

Good oral hygiene results in a mouth that looks and smells healthy. This means:

• Your teeth are clean and free of debris
• Gums are pink and do not hurt or bleed when you brush or floss
• Bad breath is not a constant problem

If your gums do hurt or bleed while brushing or flossing, or you are experiencing persistent bad breath, see your dentist. Any of these conditions may indicate a problem.Your dentist or hygienist can help you learn good oral hygiene techniques and can help point out areas of your mouth that may require extra attention during brushing and flossing.Maintaining good oral hygiene is one of the most important things you can do for your teeth and gums. Healthy teeth not only enable you to look and feel good, they make it possible to eat and speak properly. Good oral health is important to your overall well-being.Daily preventive care, including proper brushing and flossing, will help stop problems before they develop and is much less painful, expensive, and worrisome than treating conditions that have been allowed to progress.In between regular visits to the dentist, there are simple steps that each of us can take to greatly decrease the risk of developing tooth decay, gum disease and other dental problems. These include:

• Brushing thoroughly twice a day and flossing daily
• Eating a balanced diet and limiting snacks between meals
• Using dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste
• Rinsing with a fluoride mouthrinse if your dentist tells you to

Making sure that your children under 12 drink fluoridated water or take a fluoride supplement if they live in a non-fluoridated area.