How to Initiate Good Dental Practices for Infants

It is now known that, from birth, children's teeth go through different stages. There are different practices that can help you ensure that your infant's gums and teeth are healthy when the teeth come in. Teeth can be affected even before they break through the gums.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Infant tooth brush
• Infant toothpaste
• Water

Infant Dental Care Practices

1. Your baby's teeth have already formed under the gums at birth. The first tooth can come in through the gums as early as 5 or 6 months. The first teeth to come in are usually in the lower front of the mouth.
2. There are a variety of "infant" brushes in the baby section of most stores. One popular brush is soft rubber and looks like a forefinger. This style is easier to manipulate inside your infant's mouth because it doesn't come off easily and since it will feel more natural to your infant they may feel more comfortable. There are tiny raised rubber tips on the inside of the brushes.
3. Gently rub the raised tips along your baby's gums two or three times a day, with one of those times at bedtime. There are also infant toothpastes available, but for tiny infants without any teeth yet, water works just as well. Brushing your infant's gums also helps condition them for teething. Dentalsource.org states that "gauze can be used to clean the gums of younger infants".
4. You should take your infant to a pediatric dentist at six months. If not, it is imperative for you to take them to the dentist before they turn one year old. According to Dentalsource.org, "infants lose most of their maternally-derived antibody protection at about this time".
5. If you have any questions or concerns about your baby's teeth or teething process, or any genetic dental issues in your family history, be sure and discuss them on your visit to the pediatric dentist.

Dental Health and Feeding Your Infant

6. Only use a bottle of water for the bedtime feeding, whether you put your baby to bed with a bottle or hold your baby when feeding them. The sugar and acids in formula, milk, and juice can cause a condition most commonly referred to as bottle mouth. The decay occurs as a result of the liquid pooling along the gum line, under the tongue, and along other areas of the mouth.
7. You can get more information about bottle mouth from your pediatric dentist, from Women, Infants, and Children, your local health department, pediatric dentists, by typing bottle mouth or infant tooth decay into your browser's search bar.
8. Once bottle mouth, or early decay occurs, the permanent teeth can be discolored or decayed, as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you have made your appointment to see a pediatric dentist, make sure and cancel or change the appointment between 3 to 7 days prior to the scheduled date. The main complaint all dentists make is about missed appointments. Those slots can be filled by other patients.