Believing that brushing twice a day will keep cavities away from the child is not sufficient. You need to be extra careful while dealing with the child’s brushing habits. It is not that you have to care for the teeth only when you see them or the first tooth comes. The care needs to be taken from the very first day the baby is born. You must be wondering how you can take care of teeth which have not yet arrived. Let me throw some light over it. The development of teeth has already started during pregnancy when the child was in the womb. Yes!! By the time a child is born, he has around 20 primary teeth. A healthy mouth leads to health stomach. A lot of gastrointestinal disorders can be prevented by just maintaining a clean mouth. I will share some very good tips to be followed in day to day life which will help to maintain a good health of teeth and mouth.
In a survey conducted at pediatric dentists in Mumbai, reported that around 80% of parents start caring for the child’s tooth, only after the first tooth comes. Dentists believe that parents should care their child’s teeth even before they arrive; beginning from the day the little one is born. It hardly takes a minute to run a soft, damp cloth or cotton over the gums of the infant. Also, at night is your child takes feed from feeder, make sure you clean his/her teeth with a damp cotton so as to prevent sugars from the milk sticking to the teeth of your little one which may cause front teeth to decay.
When the kid starts off with teething, buy a small baby toothbrush (you will get a lot of them in the market) and buy good quality toothpaste (preferably baby toothpaste) and apply gently on the teeth. Make the child learn how to spit. It is not a one day job. You have to patient and react to irritated child very calmly. Its natural some kids hate brushing at all but as parents, you need to encourage them. If the child insists brushing by himself, then supervise him and make sure he doesn’t swallow any toothpaste. Use a fluoride based toothpaste for the kid. This will help in hardening of enamel.
Dr Satish Jha, an expert child eye specialist in Mumbai, says that the results prove that bad teeth affect the vision also. All the root canal, bracing, cavities, mercury fillings and decaying of tooth have a bad effect on the eyes. It can lead to deterioration of vision. So, prevention is better than care. You need to be extra careful with your kid’s teeth. In the choice of a doctor see to it that they understand your concerns and gives you a patient hearing as if you are satisfied then only the child will be satisfied.
I would recommend that visiting a dentist as soon as your child gets his incisors. If you are facing any problem regarding child’s brushing, contact your pediatric dentist. He will guide you with techniques which can be followed. Avoid food with high sugar contents like colas, chips, canned juices etc. Make sure to rinse the child mouth before making him sleep.