Care
For Your Child's Teeth
Good
dental care for your baby begins before he or
she is born, with you, the mother. Of course
you should continue proper oral hygiene during
pregnancy, but special attention is needed during
this time. Red and tender gums that bleed easy
may be caused by increased hormone levels. Snacking
often on foods that have a high sugar content
will lead to increased tooth decay. What you
eat can also effect the development of you baby's
teeth. |
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Teeth
begin to form between the third and sixth month
of pregnancy. During that time it is important
that nutrients be provided in sufficient amount,
as deficiencies may result in abnormal formation
of your baby's primary teeth. Eating a balanced
diet will provide sufficient amount of nutrients
to nourish both you and your child.
An
additional one or two servings of dietary products
are required for optimum calcium in your kid's
teeth. Most current literature indicates that
pregnant mothers who have severe periodontal
disease, bone loss or pyorrhea in their mouth
tend to have higher incidents of low birth rates.
We
believe that the bacteria in the mouth is traveling
through the mother's system and has an adverse
effect on the development of your fetus. |
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Infancy
When
your new baby arrives so should dental health
and education. All twenty of your baby's primary
teeth (also called baby teeth) are present in
the jawbone at birth. The lower two front teeth
are the first to break through the gums sometimes
as early as six months after birth. All of your
children's primary teeth are usually apparent
by age three. This would mean ten baby upper
teeth and ten lower teeth.
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though the first teeth are not visible, they will
arrive shortly and proper oral hygiene is important
from the start. Our office recommends the use
of a damp gauze pad or face cloth to wipe the
gums after the baby is fed, either from a bottle
or by nursing. If bottle feeding is used, some
considerations must be given to the position of
the tongue, lip, and cheek to help develop a proper
form for the upper and lower jaw in preparation
for the eruption of the first teeth. Therefore,
proper selection of a nipple and pacifier is important.
Our office usually recommends NUK brand of nipples
and pacifiers, which seem to stimulate natural
swallowing and tongue habits of your newborn infant. |
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Diet
As
soon as the teeth appear in the mouth decay can occur.
One type of serious tooth decay among young children
and infants is called nursing bottle syndrome. This
can occur when an infant is allowed to drink from
a bottle, either milk, formula, sugar water, or fruit
juices during naps or at night. If these liquids pool
around the children's teeth for long periods of time
the teeth will be attacked by acid and decay can result.
If using a bottle when putting your child to bed,
water is recommended. If at all possible we would
certainly recommend that a bottle be removed as soon
as the child falls asleep.
Behaviors
to Avoid
Your
child's proper dental development also includes
control of behaviors, which while natural to
the young child, can cause dental problems if
not controlled. Thumb-sucking is a habit which
usually stops after the age of four. If not,
it can create a problem with normal dental development.
We recommend that if thumbsucking continues,
you contact our office so that we can provide
you with literature, such as the book entitled
"David Decides" for help during what
can be a difficult time.
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Constant
earaches and sore throats, which can be the cause
of improper breathing, and can also affect the growth
and development and posture of the tongue. We find
that children who have allergies to either foods or
medications or who are mouth breathers are much more
predisposed to orthodontic problems. Tonsil and adenoid
removal could also be beneficial in the long term
for growth and development.
We
also ask parent's to be consistently aware of that
child's diet. Many food additives can cause allergies,
which enlarge the tonsils and adenoids, causing mouth
breathing and adverse dental development.
Dental
Visits
We
recommend that your child be introduced to our
office as soon as possible, usually between
the ages of one and three. By putting your child
in the proper frame of mind we can make that
first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. |
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Our
experience shows that positive reinforcement can make
your child's first visit to the dentist, and every
visit thereafter a positive one, if a few basic DO's
and DON'TS are kept in mind:
- DO
appear positive about the first visit, taking
time in the days before to discuss how the
dentist helps keep teeth healthy.
- DO
make appointments early in the morning when
the child is less apt to be tired.
- DO
have the child eat a normal breakfast and
take any required medications before the
visit.
- DO
make an effort to keep the appointment,
even if the child protests or acts up.
- DON'T
bribe the child to go to the dentist.
- DON'T
make a big deal out of the visit.
- DON'T
use the visit to the dentist as a threat
or punishment.
- DON'T
relay to the child any anxieties that you
may have
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Summary
Proper
care of your newborn baby's teeth is vital for the
growth and development of his or her new teeth. Our
offices are dedicated to helping that growth with
the best dental care available. This is best accomplished
by observing the procedures outlined here and relying
on us to answer any questions or address any needs
you or your child may have. Our goal is to help your
child 's dental development and to eliminate any anxiety
about visiting our offices. It is a goal that we can
achieve only with your help. Our mission statement
is to be so good at what we do that you cannot help
but refer others to our practice. We hope that you
will help us accomplish that. |
