Oral Health Tips From a Children’s Dentist

Your children’s dentist can provide you with oral health tips. These pointers can help start your child’s dental health the right way. Understanding them can help your child gain better dental health during the formative years. Here are some oral tips that your children’s dentist can share with you.

Practice mouth protection

This is an important part of oral hygiene. Many children play sports. This increases the risk of having dental injuries. The pediatric dentist can suggest wearing a mouthguard while playing sports or performing outdoor activities.

A mouthguard is a soft, plastic retainer that covers the teeth and gums. Some mouthguards may even cover the lips. This dental appliance can help protect the child from experiencing mouth injuries. The children’s dentist can provide a custom-fit mouthguard that can hug the child’s mouth components well.

Floss and brush every day

Dental hygiene must start during infancy. Using a soft-bristled toothbrush is appropriate at one or two years of age. Brushing with water twice each day is ideal. A pea-sized amount of toothpaste without fluoride can also do the job. Even if the child swallows it, the toothpaste will not cause harm.

The child can have fluoride toothpaste once old enough to spit it out. Teach the child to spread the toothpaste all over the tongue, teeth, and gums. This will distribute the fluoride throughout the child’s mouth. The children’s dentist can teach the parent how to brush the child’s teeth.

Brushing the child’s teeth will be necessary until seven or eight years old. The child will need a larger toothbrush at this time. Change the toothbrush every three to six months or when the bristles are worn. Do so if the child has been sick as well. Brushing must last for two minutes.

Flossing is as important as brushing. It can remove food particles and bacteria from tiny spaces between teeth. This can prevent dental and gum infections. Flossing before bed is ideal. Forming this habit can prevent bacteria from causing damage overnight.

Consider fluoride

This element can reduce cavity formation in baby teeth and permanent teeth. It does this by strengthening the enamel. Many kids have access to fluoridated water. Adding this element to tap water allows children to get the fluoride that they need for healthier teeth and gums. The children’s dentist can provide fluoride treatments if the child does not have access to fluoridated water.

Watch out for cavities

Checking the child’s mouth at home can help detect cavities early. Brown areas or white spots on teeth are the first signs of cavities. Sugary and acidic drinks or foods can erode the enamel and weaken teeth against bacteria. The children’s dentist can protect the child’s teeth by providing fluoride treatments and dental sealants on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. The following factors make a child at risk for cavities:

• Does not see the children’s dentist often
• Has special needs
• Had a low birth weight
• Was born prematurely

Maintain a healthy diet

Children love carbohydrate-rich foods. That is why they have a high risk of developing cavities. Responsible parents must choose healthy foods for their children. Reducing significant amounts of sugar in the diet is ideal. Fruit juices, energy drinks, and soda should not be on the grocery list. Reduce snacking between regular meals.

Babies must not have a milk or juice bottle while sleeping at night or during naps. Sugar tends to coat gums and teeth. Bacteria feast on sugar and release acids that damage the enamel. Weakened enamel leaves teeth vulnerable to cavities. Give the child sugar-free gum. Here are the benefits of doing so:

• Freshens breath
• Strengthens the jaw
• Neutralizes bacterial acid
• Stimulates saliva production
• Washes away food particles

Bring the child in for regular visits with the children’s dentist

The first visit to the children’s dentist must happen on the child’s first birthday or when the first baby tooth emerges. Starting dental care early in life is always a plus. Setting up a dental home can motivate the child to prioritize dental care. The child will then carry these good dental habits while growing up.

Each dental visit with the children’s dentist is a chance to ask about the child’s dental health. The pediatric dentist can answer all of the parent’s questions. The parent can even get proper guidance when it comes to brushing and flossing. The children’s dentist can even offer emergency dental treatments if the child needs them.

Your children’s dentist can help improve your child’s dental health even before the first tooth emerges

Forming good dental care habits from a young age can ensure your child’s good oral and general health. The formative years can be smoother with good dental hygiene. Working with your children’s dentist can help detect and treat possible dental problems, such as tooth decay, early. Access to emergency dental care is easier with your children’s dentist around.

Request an appointment here: https://www.hvkidsmiles.com or call Hudson Valley Pediatric Dentistry at (845) 363-4177 for an appointment in our Middletown office.

Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Kid Friendly Dentist in Middletown, NY.