My baby had no teeth by the time he was one. And that really worried me because other babies of his age had cut their first tooth by the time they were six or seven months old.
When he was two months old, my mother started checking for any tooth eruption on a regular basis and told me about the importance of oral care of a baby. She asked me to clean his gums and tongue, before giving him a bath, by wrapping a wet soft cloth around my finger. I followed her advice and when I was weaning him onto solids I started doing it twice, before bath and before bedtime. It gave me the satisfaction that cleaning his gums daily would prevent bacterial growth in his mouth.
I took a sigh of relief when his first tooth erupted. I was so excited that I called up my friends and family to update them on his development. They jested about it and said he would not need his grandmother’s dentures.
Though the toothless smile was gone forever, my little rabbit looked cute with every new tooth that was sprouting. By the time he was fifteen months, he had two pairs of top front teeth and a pair of lower front.
When he had six teeth, I made my first appointment with the pediatric dentist. He recommended me to start brushing his teeth with a soft-bristled brush and warm water. He said a healthy habit of helping a child take care of his teeth from an early age will not only help him have healthy teeth but also keep many dental problems at bay.
One such dental problem is Baby Bottle Tooth Decay. It is a major cause of tooth decay in infants and toddlers. It can damage the baby's teeth and affect the adult teeth. It can happen if the baby‘s teeth and gums are in contact with any liquid (juice, milk, drinks containing sugar etc) in a bottle other than water, for a long time. It can be prevented by using a toothbrush with soft nylon bristle and short head, for cleaning the teeth and gums.
While it is important to use the right kind of toothbrush for your baby, it is equally important to understand the toothpaste you have to use for your child.
Fluoride is important for preventing the decay of the tooth. Toothpaste contains fluoride in varying amounts. The ordinary ones which family uses have a higher content of fluoride so this toothpaste should not be given to the children below the age of 3.
If kids are less than three years of age, cleaning can be done with brush and water only, without any toothpaste or with a fluoride-free toothpaste. Once the child is ready to use a fluorinated toothpaste a small size of it should be used.
It is also important to replace the brush every one or three months.
Children take the time to get accustomed to the brushing technique. And once they learn it, the habit stays with them forever. We took time too and now we love health and sparkling teeth.