16 Mar Good Dental Health Starts Early
Your child’s primary teeth are very important to the health and growth of permanent teeth. Seeing your family dentist when those baby teeth erupt is a great start, but there are so many things you can do to promote good dental health for your child.
Children learn by example. Helping your child to learn to brush their teeth with age appropriate tooth paste or gel is not only important but offers an opportunity to spend valuable teaching time with your child. Make sure you are using a tooth paste or gel with fluoride to help protect the enamel of those baby teeth.
Allow your child to watch you as you brush and floss your teeth. This will help them to learn the proper technique as well as the importance of this daily ritual.
Discourage allowing your child to take a baby bottle to bed. The only beverage that is appropriate for a child’s consumption prior to a nap or evening bedtime is water. Milk, formula, and juice all contain sugar. If a child is allowed to drink these beverages without brushing before bed, at least a small amount of the beverage will likely stay in your child’s mouth for the duration of sleep.
This allows the harmful sugars to stay on teeth for hours. This can lead to plaque build-up and possibly dental decay. You don’t want your child’s first visit to the family dentist to be a traumatic event as subsequent dental visits will be very difficult.
Limit sugary beverages and snacks. Promoting healthy food consumption is good for overall health as well as dental health. Children will gravitate to the foods provided, so if they are exposed to fruits and vegetables instead of cookies and candy, that is what they will learn to like.
Keeping the primary teeth healthy is very important for the formation of sound permanent teeth. As your child’s caregiver, it is essential that you do all the things necessary to allow that to happen. Instilling good oral hygiene and healthy diet habits will give your child the best opportunity for excellent dental health. Contact our family dentist in San Antonio to schedule a dental exam for your child.