Dr. Jennifer Vitarelli

How to take care of your baby’s teeth

baby teethWhen your baby’s teeth start to come through, it becomes time to start taking care of them. Although the first set will only be there for a short time, the condition of the teeth is vital to the condition of your baby’s gyms and future teeth. In this article, we will go through some ways that you can ensure a healthy set of teeth for your baby.

Take care of your baby’s gums before the teeth come

  • You can begin by cleaning your child’s mouth before the teeth come through. Clean the gums after feeling with a soft, warm cloth. You can additionally purchase thimble-type devices that fit over your index finger, this can be used to rub off any food stuck to gums.

When they come through, take care of them!

  • When the teeth finally come through, you should begin to take care of them right away – most parents assume that baby teeth aren’t vital to the baby’s health as they will soon be replaced by permanent teeth. But the first teeth set spacing for permanent ones, they also help the baby learn how to chew and talk – if you don’t take care of them they will decay and cause infections like gingivitis, which will affect the spacing for the next set of teeth.

Watch out for Cavities

  • If you begin to get signs of cavities, the first thing that you will see is the color distortion and minor pitting. The reason why this can happen is by giving your baby a bottle of milk or juice before bed. You shouldn’t leave your baby with a bottle for a long period of time – especially if you discover that they’re no longer feeding and is just using the bottle.

Start brushing with toothpaste at age 2

  • When your baby’s teeth have grown fully, it’s time to start brushing them regularly! You can use a small part of fluoride toothpaste (roughly the size of a grain of rice) twice a day.

Watch your baby’s fluoride intake

  • Even if your baby isn’t using a fluoride toothpaste, they should get enough fluoride from something else – it’s a vital ingredient to stopping tooth decay, your baby can get it from drinking tap water if necessary.

Go to your dentist

Your local dentist will be able to examine and check your baby’s teeth to ensure that they are in the best quality, Vitarelli Dental is a dentist office based in Madison, NJ – get in touch today to see how we can help your baby.