Caring for a new baby is challenging. Between caring for the baby, keeping baby well fed and catching rest for yourself as a parent, it is easy to neglect baby’s oral hygiene… because there aren’t any teeth anyway.
Here are a few Q and As to help you succeed in keeping your child’s mouth clean and healthy!
Should we clean baby’s mouth before teeth erupt?
Before the teeth come in, it is important to maintain baby’s oral hygiene. Refusing to do this could cause a buildup of food debris on baby’s tongue. As such, the tongue, the gum pads (toothless gums) and the insides of the cheeks need to be cleaned once daily with wet gauze, a moist soft cloth or silicon gum massager. Massaging the gum pads is said to help relieve the discomfort that comes with teething.
When do the teeth come in?
We expect baby’s first tooth to come in around age 6 months +/- 3 months. My kids both started teething around age 8 months. If baby’s teeth have still not erupted by 12 months, it is time for you to visit your dentist.
When should baby’s first visit to the dentist be?
Baby’s fist dental visit should be either when the fist tooth comes in or at age 12 months (if the teeth have still not erupted) – whichever comes first
When should we start brushing?
Once the first tooth comes in, you need to start brushing with a soft baby toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste.
How much toothpaste should I use?
With the onset of toot eruption, just a little toothpaste about the size of a rice grain/ a thin smear of toothpaste should be used.
The amount of toothpaste used must be in very limited quantity because we want to regulate how much fluoride baby is swallowing. Since baby will swallow the toothpaste, we want to use enough to provide a protective layer around the teeth and yet less than the amount of fluoride which could irritate baby’s tummy upon ingestion.
The dosage of toothpaste may be increased to about a pea size around age 3 year when your toddler should have a full complement of baby teeth and can comfortably brush and spit out the toothpaste froth without swallowing.
Why brush a child’s teeth at all?
Baby teeth need to be protected from cavities and gum disease as much as adult teeth. As a matter of fact, the physical form of baby teeth makes them more susceptible to caries. A baby tooth has a thinner enamel (outer layer) and dentine (inner layer) meaning that caries can easily communicate with the pulp chamber (which houses the blood vessels and nerve supply) resulting in pain and sleepless nights. It is thus important to brush with a fluoridated toothpaste. The fluoride forms a protective layer around the tooth preventing dental caries.
What is the big deal if my child has caries (the baby teeth will be replaced anyway)?
Caries is a disease that must not be taken lightly. It is painful and can affect the child’s feeding habits and quality of life. Infections from dental caries could spread and cause frightening jaw and facial swellings with pus oozing into the mouth. Tooth infections in baby teeth may even affect the developing “adult teeth” which would replace them.
In some cases, baby teeth have to be taken out by a dentist. If these teeth are lost too early, it may result in misarrangement of the adult teeth when they erupt.
What posture should I assume? I don’t know where to start!
Seat baby on your lap like you are about to feed him or her. Position the shoulder close to you in your underarm area of your less dominant hand freely. Wrap your less dominant around baby’s shoulder to provide comfort and restraint. With your dominant arm, bring your toothbrush and toothpaste to brush. If baby refuses to open his/her mouth, gently advance the toothbrush into the mouth through the corner of the lips. They will automatically open and give you access to brush. Bush with a circular motion, all surfaces of teeth available: the “table top” where food is crushed, the lip and cheek areas of the teeth facing outwardly and the inner aspect of the upper and lower rows of teeth. Remember to brush behind the very last teeth in the rows and finish off with a good tongue scrub.
What can we do to manage aversion to brushing in a toddler?
The techniques I will be outlining below are very simple yet effective techniques- provided the caretaker is committed to them. Then again, each child is different so feel free to experiment with it until you find the suitable for your ward. Make tooth brushing fun. Sing, smile, tickle and most importantly, brush. Buy the brushing elements with your toddler. Let him/her choose his favourite colour of tooth brush and favourite flavour of toothpaste… things along that line. Show him/her fun videos of people brushing- there are tons of those and related cartoons online. Brush with your child. Let them see you brushing and then do theirs. Remember a child’s brushing must be monitored up until age 8 when they are more competent to undertake the exercise flawlessly. Visit your dentist. Perhaps there is some tooth sensitivity or pain that is preventing your child from enjoying his toothbrushing experience.
If all fails, restrain your child and brush (the end justifies the means).
There’s so much more to talk about! But little space to explore it all. Comment wit your questions and let’s get talking!
Until my next article, keep brushing!