3 Tips for Caring for Your Baby's Gum's

There is nothing quite like the first year of your baby's life. It is full of milestones and monumental moments. For a parent, there is nothing more joyous than seeing your baby's smile and seeing those first few sets of teeth coming in. If you take the time to care for your child's gums properly, you can set a precedent of a great oral health in his or her future.

Healthy gums are simple to maintain. It is important to remember oral health care begins before any signs of their teeth appearing. Healthy gums contribute to a healthy smile, before teething occurs.

1. Clean Your Baby's Gums
It's important to begin cleaning your child's mouth even before her teeth come in. Wipe the gums off after each feeding with a warm, wet washcloth or a dampened piece of gauze wrapped around your finger.

2. Avoid Tooth Decay
Most parents believe baby teeth are not as important because they will eventually be replaced by permanent teeth. This is further from the truth because baby teeth are preserving space for the permanent teeth and help your baby chew and speak.

You can avoid tooth decay in your child by not leaving them with a bottle in their mouth for long periods of time, or letting them fall sleep with their bottle.  Tooth decay in infants can occur when sugary liquids are left in your baby's mouth for a long time.

3. Avoid Sugary Foods
Just like in adults, foods that are high in sugar create an environment for bacteria to grow, which leads to tooth decay. When baby's begin to accept and eat solid foods, it is important to be cautions of sugary foods.

Bonus Tip: 
Schedule a dental exam. The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that Baby get his first dental exam at age 1, or when his first tooth appears.

The Truth About Your Child’s Tooth Decay

Did you know tooth decay is the most common childhood disease? According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 3 out of 5 children are affected by tooth decay. This disease may seem insignificant to some parents, but Pediatric Dental Specialists urge you to take it seriously to avoid more severe oral health problems in the future. With tooth decay being 5 times more common than asthma, we decided to help educate parents more on how you can help your child regarding this matter.

HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR CHILD?

Encourage good dental habits.
Be sure to practice and teach your children healthy dental habits that will last them a lifetime. Make sure you emphasize daily brushing and show your child how to brush with a soft-bristled brush. Daily flossing is another important factor. Flossing should begin as soon as teeth touch each other. Parents should help floss children’s teeth until they are at least eight years old.

Make flossing fun.
The trick to making flossing a habit is to make it fun for kids to do. Here is one way to do that:

1) Purchase a “flosser friend” at the nearest retail store. This is a fun and functional flossing tool that holds children’s floss and promotes healthy habits.

2) Fill the flosser keeper with fruity children’s floss.

3) Place the flosser keeper in an easily accessible location around the bathroom sink.

Cut down on sweets and sticky foods.
Sugary foods and drinks are the biggest culprits for causing tooth decay. Avoid extremely sugary snacks and candy that can stick to teeth and lead to plaque buildup.

Visit Pediatric Dental Specialists in Long Beach regularly.
Make sure you are bringing your child in for regular cleanings and check-ups. Children should be seen by a pediatric dentist for a checkup by age 1 and start regular clings at age 3.

The Secret of Getting Your Kids to Brush their Teeth

In our home some mornings are a juggle trying to get out of the house! Between getting ready for work, feeding and dressing two active toddlers for school - who has time to brush their teeth? Now that they are old enough to run when they see me coming with the tooth brush my husband and I realized it was time to create a better system to keep their teeth clean and cavity free…and us sane!

Start Early: Begin brushing before teeth grown in

Even before the new teeth start to pop in the mouth parents can get babies used to getting their mouths brushed. A moist cloth or a soft finger toothbrush can be used to clean a baby’s gums or tongue after every feeding. No toothpaste is needed at this stage. Once the teeth start to grow in you can transition to a toothbrush with a smear of toothpaste.

Toothbrushes come is many shapes and sizes, look for toothbrushes with small heads that are soft bristled.

Pick the right sized toothbrush, one size does not fit all.

If you walk by the dental aisle at your local supermarket you may become overwhelmed by the large selection of toothbrushes. Hard, medium or soft bristles? Electric or manual toothbrushes? The key to selecting a toothbrush for a toddler or child depends on the age. It’s better to select a toothbrush (whether electric or manual) with a smallhead, this make brushing more comfortable for your little one. As your child grows, the size of the toothbrush head can also grow. Bristles should be soft (or ultra-soft) so as to not damage a child’s delicate gums.  Kids often will struggle with tooth brushing if they do not like the taste of the tooth paste, so try different fluoride toothpaste until you find the right one! Once kids are older a pea size amount (not a ribbon!) of tooth paste should be used and wipe out the excess toothpaste with a towel or cloth.

Make it fun: Sing a song while brushing

Sesame Street’s Healthy Teeth, Healthy Me has many songs such as Elmo's Brushy Brush sone to make brushing fun. 

         

When kids are 2 to 3 years old they may start to exert their independence by wanting to dress or brush their own teeth or even refuse to brush at all.  Don’t let brushing become a power struggle! Turn things around by turning brushing into a game by singing a song or reciting the ABC’s  Have older kids listen to a song while they brush for the recommended 2 minutes twice a day.

Brush their teeth for them until age 7 to 8 years

   

Parents should brush their children’s teeth until they are 7 to 8 years for 2 minutes a

   day in the morning and at bedtime.

Did you know that children don’t have the manual dexterity to brush their teeth

    effectively until they are 7 to 8 years of age? 

    Parents should allow their kids to practice brushing their teeth so they learn. But they

    need to follow up by brushing before or after.

Model good behavior: brush and floss as a family

A parent is a child’s first teacher and one of the most influential. The behaviors we instill in our kids through childhood routines carry over into adulthood. When a parent shows their kids that they take care of their own teeth by daily brushing and flossing they are more likely to have a positive influence on their child’s future oral health.

The key to successfully implementing any new routine is consistency. Once your kids realize they are not getting out of it you will avoid a lot of the tears and arguments over brushing. And hopefully avoid the cavities too!!!

Baby Teeth – and Gums – Need Special Care!

One question we hear all the time is “When should I start brushing my baby’s teeth?”

You should begin regular cleanings even before your baby has teeth. After each breast feeding – or bottle-feeding – use a clean, damp washcloth to gently rub your baby’s gum tissue. You can wrap the material around one finger to make it easier to remove any food bits from your baby’s mouth.

When your baby’s first tooth comes in switch to a baby toothbrush. Look for special baby toothbrushes in your drugstore – they have just a few bristles and are very soft. There are even brushes shaped like finger puppets that fit over the tip of your pointer finger! All you need at this point is water – no toothpaste yet.

After a few more teeth appear, you can start using toothpaste, but you only need a tiny bit, and make sure it doesn’t contain fluoride for the first three years. From the beginning, have your little one practice spitting the toothpaste out after brushing. That way, he or she will already have the good habit of spitting when you switch to fluoride toothpaste, which should never be swallowed.

If you have any questions about caring for your baby’s teeth, please contact our office at (562) 377-1375.