Overview and Tips

Care for your child's teeth begins at birth! There are many things you can do to help ensure that your child's teeth and gums start and remain healthy. You can play an important part in laying the groundwork for your child's oral health and overall appearance in life by instilling proper oral hygiene habits (it's never too early) to eating healthy foods.

Eating a balanced diet and limiting the number of unhealthy snacks can help prevent the long-term effects of gum disease and tooth decay. Some good snacks include: fruits, uncooked vegetables, yogurt, and cheese.

The saliva in your child's mouth help protect the teeth some, by neutralizing the "demineralization," or damage, caused by plaque formation. (Plaque is a film of bacteria that forms on teeth and gums after eating foods that produce acids.)

To reduce plaque, brushing and flossing are your best bet! Toothpaste and rinses contain fluoride, which is a substance similar to saliva, that "re-mineralizes" (keeps healthy and solidifies) the surfaces of our teeth.

Highly concentrated fluoride gels, mouth rinses, or dietary supplements are other sources of this important substance. In addition, anti-cavity varnish, or sealants (which are thin, plastic coatings) also provide an additional barrier against harmful bacteria and other foreign matter.

We recommend that you bring your baby to see us by their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth growing in. To protect your child's smile now, as well as in the future, exams and preventative appointments are a must! In addition, children with healthy teeth chew food more easily and learn to speak more clearly. Dental problems can begin early - even in infancy. Semi-annual check-ups allow our office to spot early conditions, such as baby bottle tooth decay, teething irritations, gum disease, and prolonged thumb sucking. Yes, decay can set in from using a bottle during naps or at night, or when your baby nurses continuously from the breast.

Baby bottle tooth decay is caused by exposing your child's teeth to liquids containing sugars. Culprits include milk, formula, fruit juice, sodas, and other sweet drinks. The sugars in these liquids pool around your baby's teeth and gums, feeding the bacteria that lead to plaque. Pacifiers dipped in honey, sugar, or syrup are invitations to decay in your baby's teeth.

Close to his or her first birthday, start encouraging your child to drink from a cup to help avoid chances of tooth decay. You should also avoid allowing your child to fall asleep with a bottle; nighttime breast feeding should be avoided after the first baby tooth begins to erupt. Also, do not allow him or her to drink juice from a bottle. When juice is offered, it should be in a cup.

It is advised that children be weaned from a bottle as soon as they can drink from a cup, but the bottle should not be taken away too soon since the sucking motion aids in the development of facial muscles and the tongue.