Keep your baby's teeth healthy

Baby

oi-Staff

By Super Admin

Thursday, June 23, 2011, 17:50

Teeth are the children's most important possessions. Recollect the celebration you made when you first saw those pearly white speck in their mouth. How you look after their teeth during the time they are babies will make a difference to how they would grow and be healthy. Here is a fine guideline on how to clean and protect the baby teeth from harm. Tooth decay is preventable with a bit of extra care.

• As soon as the teeth erupts, begin cleaning them either with a soft cloth or a very soft tooth brush. Make sure to clean even the gums. If you wish to use a paste, it is very important to wait until your baby learns to spit properly as the fluoride in paste is too much for them to ingest. It can also lead to marks on their permanent teeth. While choosing the brush make sure to get the soft bristle with a grip that the baby can hold with comfort.
• After breastfeeding at night wipe the teeth over, as breast milk is sweet.
• Tooth decay is caused when children are made to sleep with the milk Milk lying around their teeth overnight will cause tooth decay even before your baby's teeth have come through. If the baby has the habit sucking the bottle while going asleep fill in boiled water in the bottle instead of milk. Try to avoid sweet drinks as the sugar sits on the child's teeth for too long.
• Avoid letting your baby drink from a sippy-cup or bottle constantly throughout the day.
• Visit the dentist shortly after the baby's teeth have come through. Probably after nine months.
• Feed your child with fruits and cooked vegetables.
• Give water in between meals.
• If the parents have a decay make sure to get it fixed as decay is contagious. Remember not to share foods and spoons with your baby. This will also avoid in transmitting bacteria.
• Brush along the chewing surfaces of the teeth, then in a circular motion on the outside surfaces.
• Gums that bleed need more brushing to make them healthy.
• Limit sweetened juice to ' a cup a day diluted with water.
• Brush your child's teeth until the time they develop the skills to brush themselves. Experts suggest to help then about 5-6years of age.

To end with children need healthy baby teeth as it helps them eat well, learn to speak clearly, and prevent adult teeth from growing crooked. So, pull up your sleeves and get into action to fight those germs off those sweet toothy smile.