Learning to brush your teeth can be fun for your child. Do not spare your time or money on the treatment and care of your baby's milk teeth. The basis of a beautiful smile is not only a properly selected toothbrush, appropriate toothpaste, but also hygienic habits that are worth developing practically from birth.

Learning to brush your teethis very important, but it often happens that first we wait for little teeth in the baby's mouth, and when they appear … we forget about them quite quickly.

It is worth developing a habit of taking care of the teeth in your child from an early age and visiting the dentist regularly. It will pay off in the future.

Meanwhile, they require careful care because they have a thinner enamel layer than permanent teeth, which makes them more prone to caries. If this disease develops, it can damage the buds of future teeth. Moreover, premature loss of milk teeth may result in malocclusion. Therefore, you should start your daily oral hygiene as early as possible.

Brushing baby's teeth step by step

Before the first teeth appear, it is worth wiping the baby's gums with a cotton swab dipped in boiled water at least twice a day (necessarily after evening feeding). This is important especially in infants fed with modified milk, because, unlike breast milk, it does not contain enzymes that protect the teeth. Therefore, these children are at risk of developing caries early. The gums can also be cleaned with a silicone brush applied to the finger. It will also work well for gum massage during teething.

When the first teeth appear, start using a soft toothbrush from the children's line and continue to brush your gums with a silicone brush. You can use the toothpaste without or with a small amount of fluoride - it is important that it is adapted to the age of the child. It's best to rub a little bit of paste into the hair so that it doesn't get licked off easily.

From the moment you expand the menu, you need to brush your child's teeth after the main meals, or at least after breakfast and the last meal. They should be washed with circular and sweeping movements, from the outside and inside, at the beginning of about a minute, with age - up to 3 minutes. The brush should be replaced every 3-4 months, and also after infections.

A little cleverness when learning to brush your teeth

You can give to a baby alreadya brush to try to wash the teeth by itself. But it is up to the parents to ensure that they are thoroughly cleaned in the first years of life. You can clean your child's teeth at the beginning of each treatment, and then give them a toothbrush to "improve" them even more. You can also brush each other's teeth - the child to you, and you to him. An electric toothbrush will facilitate thorough cleaning, but it is impossible to do without the help of adults. For an older child, you can also buy teeth coloring tablets or liquids that show unwashed places, so the child can correct errors on an ongoing basis. A good rule of thumb is to use dental floss - it's worth showing a three-year-old child how to use it. The rinse aid can be reached when the child is 6 years old and is able to rinse out his mouth without swallowing the liquid.

Happy teeth brushing accessories

Brushing teeth will be made more enjoyable by colorful tools - toothpaste and brush with drawings or an hourglass cup. In the store, let your child choose them himself (pay attention to the age category). You can also read books in which the heroes explain in a simple way why you need to brush your teeth and how to do it. Watching a book or a fairy tale like this is also a good way to prepare your child for a visit to the dentist's office.

Dentist checkup

It is worth going to the dentist with a yearling for the first time to check whether the teeth are developing properly, to detect irregularities in care and to correct them. Go for a real checkup when your child has all milk teeth (around 2 years old). An appointment is necessary if you notice a spot on any of your teeth. Caries in milk teeth progresses very quickly, so do not delay your visit to the dentist. Report to the inspection every 4 months.

Worth knowing

What strengthens and what weakens a child's teeth?

The teeth strengthening menu is as important as proper hygiene - with the right amount of calcium and vitamin D. A daily dose of calcium is provided by breastmilk or formula milk for infants, and for older children - 3-4 servings of dairy products. Vitamin D should be administered daily in the form of supplements - 400 IU. in the first 6 months, then 400-600 IU up to the age of 1, and then until the age of 18, 600-1000 IU from September to April or all year round. It is important that the child learns to chew and bite early as this promotes the proper development of the jaw and can prevent malocclusion. Therefore, the consistency of the dishes should be gradually changed from creamy to lumpy, and the older baby should be given, for example, pieces of soft fruit to the handle. Sugar, which is the cause of tooth decay, must be limited in the child's diet. Avoid sweetened drinks and replace them with water,and sweets (especially lollipops, hard candy, chewing candies). After a sweet feast, you must brush your child's teeth.

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Category:

Dentistry and Orthodontics