Oral Health Equals Overall Health: When to Begin Oral Hygiene For Kids

Did you know that more than half a billion children worldwide have primary tooth decay? That makes tooth decay (also known as caries or cavities) the most prevalent oral disease in kids.

Worse, dental cavities can give rise to other oral health conditions, such as gum disease. Moreover, kids with poor oral health are more prone to school absences. Indeed, dental illnesses cause children in the US to miss over 51 million school hours each year.

Fortunately, optimal oral hygiene for kids can help prevent those problems. The question is, how soon should your little one receive such care?

We’ll tell you all about it and other facts about your child’s dental health below, so keep reading!

When to Begin Oral Hygiene for Kids

The primary substance of the tooth begins to develop by the time a fetus is six weeks old. Then, the hard tissue that covers the teeth forms in the third or fourth month of the pregnancy. Thus, babies already have all 20 primary teeth hidden inside the gums at birth.

For that reason, optimal oral care should start even before your baby’s first tooth erupts.

How to Care for a Newborn’s Mouth

Since babies have less saliva than adults, they need help removing germs in their mouths. They need that after every feeding or at least twice a day.

To clean your baby’s mouth, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water first. That can help prevent bacteria on your hands from transferring to your child’s mouth.

Next, dampen a gauze pad or washcloth with clean, warm water. Use that to gently rub or wipe liquids out of your little one’s gums, cheeks, and tongue.

Please never use a toothbrush when taking care of your newborn’s oral health. No matter how soft its bristles are, they can injure the soft tissues in your little one’s mouth.

When Brushing and Flossing Should Start

As soon as your baby’s first tooth appears, you can clean it using an infant toothbrush. You can use plain water or apply a minimal amount of fluoridated toothpaste. Ensure the toothpaste doesn’t exceed the size of a grain of rice.

It’s best to have a partner hold your baby so that your little one’s head slightly tilts downward. This position can help reduce the risk of swallowing excess water or toothpaste.

It’s okay if your little one does swallow some toothpaste, as long as it’s only a tiny amount. That’s also why it’s vital to use only a rice grain-sized smear of toothpaste when you clean your baby’s tooth. Swallowing too much of it can put your child at risk of an upset stomach.

As for flossing your baby’s teeth, you can begin as soon as two of them touch each other.

Flossing is as crucial as brushing since it removes plaque between the teeth and under the gums. Moreover, it helps knock off food debris that may have gotten stuck in those areas.

How About the First Dental Visit?

It’s best to take your baby to their first dental visit within six months from when their first tooth erupts. You can also schedule a trip to a kids’ dentist before your child turns one year old.

It’s crucial to follow that recommendation as cavities can develop as soon as your baby has teeth. If that happens, your little one is at risk of pain and infections.

That can affect their dietary habits, compromising their overall health. They may also have problems with speaking, learning, and playing.

Moreover, dental caries in primary teeth can spread to permanent teeth. Untreated decay in baby teeth may even delay the development and eruption of adult teeth.

Which Dentist Should You Choose?

When deciding on a dentist for your baby, go for one specializing in pediatric dentistry for kids. Pediatric dentists focus on the oral health of infants, toddlers, pre-teens, and teens. They’ve undertaken additional schooling and training to handle younger patients.

It’s also wise to pick a pediatric dentist offering sedation for dental work. That can be especially beneficial for a child with dental anxiety or phobia. With sedation, your little one can remain calm and relaxed during procedures.

What Else Can You Do?

Always take away your child’s bottle as soon as your little one finishes drinking. Doing so helps prevent bottle mouth, also called baby bottle tooth decay. It’s a condition that affects the front teeth, causing them to get discolored, pitted, or pocked.

Unless prevented, bottle mouth can lead to baby teeth cavities. A dentist may even have to pull the decayed primary teeth in severe cases.

It’s also important to wash all baby bottles, caps, nipples, rings, and pacifiers. Clean them with soap and water first, and then sterilize them after.

Sterilization helps prevent infections, including oral thrush. It’s a fungal infection that can cause uncomfortable sores in a baby’s mouth.

Your baby can transition from a bottle to a sippy cup at six months. That can help keep liquids from pooling around your child’s teeth, preventing cavities.

At two years old, your little one may be old enough to learn how to spit while brushing. However, it’s still best not to give your child water to swish and spit. That can raise the odds of accidental toothpaste ingestion.

When your kid turns three, you can increase the toothpaste amount to a pea-sized smear. Teach your child how to brush at this age, but be sure you’re always together.

Keep brushing together until your child turns eight. Kids younger than that still need supervision. Besides, you can use this as a chance to have quality time together.

Care For Your Child’s Oral Health

As you can see, optimal oral hygiene for kids should start as early as their infancy. After all, their mouths can become infected by bacteria as soon as their third day of life.

So, as a loving parent, it’s vital to take care of your child’s dental health as early as possible.

Did you like this article? If so, then we have more informative guides to share with you, so feel free to read more of our blog posts now!