Healthy teeth are important to living a healthy life and there is no better time to start caring about dental health than childhood. Good dental care helps your children develop good dental habits which will last forever, and an absence of which can lead to a lifetime of toothaches and dental problems. Many parents are in a dilemma about their child’s dental care. They know they don’t want their kid to get cavities but don’t know how to go about preventing them. It is very important for parents to visit the dentist every six months.
Here are some tips to ensure your toddler gets proper tooth care:
1. Let your child select his/her toothbrush:
Letting your kids pick up their toothbrush will encourage them towards maintaining a proper oral hygiene. It will make them feel that brushing teeth is their idea and not something enforced. Allow your child to choose their toothbrush with their favorite character and color. It will make brushing fun!
2. Start oral care before the first tooth erupts:
You don’t need to wait for the first tooth to erupt to start oral care. Clean your kid’s mouth with a clean damp cloth after every feed. One of the most common kinds of tooth decay in children are nursing bottle caries and the best way to avoid them is to start oral care early. Regular check-ups of your child by a dentist can guide you in the best way of dealing with things such as pacifier use, thumb-sucking, etc.
3. Use fluoridated toothpaste:
Fluoride helps to keep developing teeth cavity free. As soon as the teeth start appearing, a smear (not pea size) of fluoridated toothpaste should be used to brush them. Topical application of fluorides hardens the enamel, that is the topmost layer of the tooth. However, too much of fluorides cause stains and discoloration of teeth. Make sure that you take only a smear of toothpaste and your kid does not ingest it.
4. Limit sugar consumption:
Sugars are the most common reason for cavities. Commonly contained in juices and milk, sugar sticks to the surface of the tooth and acts as a substrate for bacteria. Sugar, when acted upon by bacteria, turns into acid, which eats away the top layer of the teeth, causing cavities. While sugar cannot be completely eliminated from your child’s diet, it can be ensured that the consumption is limited to a bare minimum.
5. Visit a dentist regularly:
Your child’s first dental visit should be around his/her first birthday. This will help your dentist to identify and rectify any problem at an early stage. Problems, when diagnosed early, can be solved with simpler methods saving your child from physical pain. Starting dental visits early would also build awareness in your kid about the importance of oral care. As your kids grow, visit the dentist half yearly for routine dental check-ups. Caring for a child requires considerable financial investment. You can ease off the financial load by going for an OPD health insurance plan that covers you for unlimited doctor consultations, medicines and more, such as Day2Day Care
Your baby’s first teeth are as important as the permanent teeth. Just because they are going to last for a few years doesn’t mean that you don’t need to take care of them. Healthy baby teeth pave the way to a healthy dental life. Instilling the right dental habits from childhood will prevent dental problems in the future.
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