Infant Oral Health Care Ensures Your Child Maintains a Healthy, Beautiful Smile

Your child is born with 20 primary teeth, but they remain trapped beneath the gum line. That said, your child’s oral care begins right from the moment they are born. After every feeding, wipe your infant’s gums with a clean, wet cloth. It’s also essential to ensure your baby’s gums are clean before naptime. Never let your baby sleep with a baby bottle in the mouth.

The first tooth typically comes in when your baby is about 6-8 months old. At this age, you can use a soft-bristled toothbrush with a very small smear of toothpaste (about the size of a grain of rice). Your child should visit their dentist for a dental exam by their first birthday. This dental check-up allows us to inspect your child’s teeth, jaws, and other oral structures to monitor their growth and development.

During your child’s check-up visit, we’re happy to help teach both you and your child about proper toothbrushing and flossing techniques.  We’ll ask that you help your child with these important tasks until they are 8 to 9 years of age because until this age, most children have not developed enough coordination with their hands to clean their teeth well.

Enhance your infant’s oral health with the following tips.

• Breastfeeding: The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and up to 12 months or as long as the mother and infant wish to continue. Breastfeeding offers numerous oral and general health benefits.
• Thumb sucking: Most babies suck their thumbs as a natural way to soothe their gums. While these habits are regular for infants, prolonged thumb sucking can affect dental development. Thumb-sucking beyond age four should be a concern. Talk to your dentist about how to help your child stop this habit.
• Bottle feeding: A baby bottle is ideal for nourishment for babies who are not breastfeeding. However, babies should be introduced to drinking from a cup before their first birthday. Why? Milk, formula, and juices contain natural and added sugars. When a baby sucks on a bottle for extended periods, these sugars can pool around their teeth and gums, creating an ideal environment for bacteria. Therefore, your baby should never sleep with the bottle and stop using it as soon as they learn to hold a cup.