How to Care For Your Children’s Teeth

It’s important to consider your child’s oral care from the minute they are born right through their childhood and beyond. These good habits will set them up with healthy mouths, teeth, and gums for their lifetime. 

With a full set of teeth present from 2 years onward, caring for teeth and gums while instilling a solid dental care routine with your child during these early years is vital. 

Children's Teeth Care Tips

Dental Check-Ups

Once your child is 6 months old, they should start to see a dentist, and begin a regular dental check-up routine. This will ensure any problems will be cared for professionally and will instill a solid oral care routine that they can enjoy for the rest of their lives. 

When it comes to preventing cavities and infections and guiding you, as a parent, through their specific oral care needs, dentists always know best. If you wait until your child is complaining of dental pain, they will generally end up having to receive far more invasive treatment which is more painful and expensive. Prevention is key. 

Instilling a Routine

Creating a positive and healthy oral care routine with your child from an early age will help ensure they enjoy good oral and dental health for the rest of their lives. 

When working oral care into your child’s everyday routine, it’s important to keep it consistent so it’s not a shock to them when it’s time to brush their teeth. This is key because if you skip it once or twice then they might think it’s optional and that’s when it can become challenging. We recommend brushing before they get dressed as it can get quite messy. Brushing before food first thing in the morning and last thing at night will ensure the active ingredients in the toothpaste embed in the teeth and work effectively. 

Food and Drinks

It goes without saying that sugar is the root cause of many dental issues for children, so limiting junk food is key. 

Fluoridated water at this age is vital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends water fluoridation as a safe and effective way to prevent tooth decay with data showing that community water fluoridation can reduce tooth decay by 25%. Public water supplies contain Fluoride, but you can always check with your provider to be sure. Fluoride protects teeth from decay, and this is as important in infants, as it is at any other age. 

Calcium intake is also important to help build strong teeth, so ensure your child’s diet contains calcium-rich foods like milk and cheese.