Since time immemorial, it is advised that oral hygiene is essential to maintain overall health. This is because our mouth is considered the breeding ground for bacteria which can cause potential diseases, especially in kids.
Infants or kids are not able to maintain oral hygiene by themselves. But being parents, it is our responsibility to take care of their teeth and maintain proper oral hygiene. Cultivating healthy oral hygiene habits right from the infant stage is always helpful to avoid dental problems.
However, there are a lot of questions that hit the minds of parents about dental hygiene. For example, how can they take care of their kid’s teeth? Do they need exceptional help from dentistry for children to maintain oral hygiene? Or when they can start brushing the teeth of their toddlers?
By keeping all that in mind, here are a few tips that help you take care of your kid’s teeth during each stage of childhood.
Oral Hygiene between the Age of 0-2
Don’t think that your infant doesn’t need oral hygiene unless they have teeth. Even the soft gums and tongue can also serve as the breeding ground for bacteria. The pediatric dentists suggest using a soft cotton cloth to wipe out the infant gums after feeding. This will help to avoid bacteria growth into the mouth.
By the age of 6 to 12 months, when they start teething, you can start brushing the teeth with the help of a soft brush. Avoid vigorous brushing to the teeth as it may damage the gums. Always use a soft brush and only a small grain size amount of toothpaste to clean the infant’s teeth.
Additionally, never let your toddler sleep with the bottle into their mouth as the milk may pool over the gums, which results in tooth decay.
Dental Hygiene at the Age of 2-6 or Above
Start using fluoride toothpaste when your kids turn at the age of two and above. The fluoride-rich toothpaste can help to prevent tooth decay, bring strength to the enamel, which further helps to restore the health of the teeth. By the age of two or above, start building a habit of brushing your kids’ teeth twice a day.
Moreover, you can consult a reputable pediatric dentist in Roswell for better guidance and tips to properly floss the kids’ teeth. Apart from this, when your kids turn two or above, start using a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste.
Ensure that they do not swallow the toothpaste. Also, start building healthy eating habits to have healthy teeth growth and avoid cavities issues.
Dental Hygiene at the Age of 6 or Growing Children
When your kids turn six or preteen, ensure that your kid brushes their teeth for two minutes twice a day. Along with brushing, try to build a habit of flossing teeth regularly to prevent cavities development and tooth decay. Flossing also helps remove the trapped food particles, which can invite bacteria that can erode the tooth enamel.
Aside from this, kids’ milk teeth will be replaced with permanent teeth; this is the peak time to pay attention to the alignment of the teeth. So, visit the Roswell kids’ dentist regularly to ensure that their teeth are aligned properly. Moreover, the dentist also provides proper treatment if they have any irregularity in their teeth.
On the other hand, the pediatric dentist also helps provide the proper treatment to bring back the health of teeth and avoid dental problems before they worsen.
Maintain a Good Diet
Kids who drink a lot of juices, sugary foods are at greater risk of having cavities. So, it would help if you build healthy eating habits in your kids. Avoid giving them sugar drinks, soda or carbonated beverages, sweetened drinks, and others. Also, try to limit junk food and chocolates.
Along with this, make sure that they brush their teeth after eating food. This will help to avoid the cavities problem and bacterial growth into the teeth spaces.
Bottom Line
The kids’ good oral hygiene can help avoid so many dental problems such as cavities, tooth decay, enamel damage, and many more. So, here are a few tips and tricks that help take care of the kid’s teeth at different ages. In addition to this, do not forget to visit the pediatric dentists regularly to ensure that their teeth are safe from dental problems and take proper treatment.