Do I Really Need to Brush My Baby’s Teeth?
Instilling good health habits in children means starting at a young age. With oral hygiene, it’s no different. But, is it necessary to brush your baby’s teeth? If so, when should you start? Find out here.
Tips to Kick Off Great Dental Health in Your Child
Your child grows and develops at a dizzying rate, and it’s all you can do to keep up. As oral health experts, our goal is to emphasize the importance of great dental health, which can help your child chew, talk, and smile with confidence.
To help set your child up for a lifetime of great dental health, Drs. Magdalena Azzarelli and Roge Jacob, and the rest of the team here at Hillsdale Dental Care, pulled together a few great tips that will give parents and kids something to smile about.
Encourage independence
Children are independent, and they want to do things for themselves as quickly as possible. You’ve done your part for the first couple of years ensuring that your child’s gums and first teeth were properly cleaned, but as their baby teeth erupt in earnest, it’s time to get your child involved, too.
Of course, you may still have to “touch up” their work a little (or a lot), but getting your child to take part in dental cleaning as early as possible can help lay the foundation for a solid, at-home dental regimen.
Make the dental regimen fun
While your child may be adamant about doing things themselves, they can also quickly tire of activities they don’t deem entertaining.
Here are a few tips that can help make teeth brushing a little more fun:
- Let them choose their toothbrush at the store as they would a toy
- Buy a toothpaste that isn’t too strong and has a pleasant flavor
- Brush your teeth with them and make it a contest to see who can go the longest (let your child win this one!)
- Create a little song about brushing or make it a counting game as they tackle each tooth
- Compliment your child’s clean teeth
When it comes to rewarding your child for a job well done, this can be a slippery slope. It may be better to create a schedule so they have to brush their teeth before they can do something else more pleasing, such as going out to play after breakfast or reading their favorite book before bed.
Protect those baby teeth
People may think of baby teeth as disposable, but the fact is that these teeth are very important. Baby teeth not only hold the position for their permanent teeth, but it’s with these teeth that your child learns to talk and chew.
To help ensure that their baby teeth are up to the task, we encourage you to bring your child in regularly for pediatric dental care, and we can provide fluoride rinses and dental sealants to help protect these teeth.
If you have more questions about caring for your child’s teeth, please don’t hesitate to contact our office in San Jose, California, to set up an appointment. We also feature more dental tips for parents here.
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