Oral health is essential for every person’s well-being, whether adult or child. In your role as a parent, your children’s dental health can be a main concern. The state of a child’s teeth often influences their happiness. From ensuring that they can eat and speak properly to easing their anxieties based on looks, a parent’s role in the dental health of kids becomes highly crucial.
So learn these tips on how to maintain good oral health habits. The earlier you get the kids to perform oral care, the fewer problems your whole family faces in the future.
Oral Health Tips Based on Age
Teaching the importance of oral hygiene to your kids is not a one-time occurrence. You may need to impart your oral hygiene knowledge gradually over the years. To make it easy, follow along the tips based on how old your children are.
From birth until there are teeth
Before your baby grows teeth, there are only the gums. These, too, must be cleaned. You should clean your baby’s gums after each feeding, whether by breast or bottle. Also, make a habit out of cleaning the gums before bed or after giving medicine. A small toothbrush with extra soft brushes will do. Or, to avoid bleeding, you can use a sterile and damp soft cloth.
After the first teeth grow
Teething is usually a challenging time for the baby. When that first tooth starts to show, typically around six months after birth, your baby will feel a lot of discomfort marked by excessive drooling and hyper-crankiness. Most dentists will recommend you apply a cold teething ring and massage the gums.
If you wish to use medication, get a proper prescription from the dentist and use an infant-safe dose.
Then, it’s time to start early by introducing twice-daily brushing. The ideal times would be after breakfast and before bedtime. It’s also a good time to introduce the toothbrush (but remember, use the correct size and soft brushes) and some fluoride toothpaste in a tiny amount.
Infancy and preschool-age
1 year old
Before or after your child has their first birthday, it’s time to take a trip to the dental office. A dental visit will familiarize your child with the setting. It’s also crucial for the dentist to monitor your infant’s dental development.
2 to 4 years old
Around the ages of 2 until 4, your child should have the habit of brushing their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. But if your child wants additional time to brush their teeth (like after a heavy meal), you should let them, as this period is all about learning. A minute amount of fluoride toothpaste is also safe to use for infants.
4 to 7 years old
Your child’s oral health habits should evolve by now. You can start introducing the concept of flossing, in addition to brushing, as part of their dental care regime.
This is also the right age to introduce healthier eating habits that promote oral health. Avoid giving them sugary snacks or sugary drinks. Educate them that a healthy mouth will result in better overall wellness. Plus, take them to the dental office for regular visits so they won’t grow any fear of it later in life.
Around this time, your child may also lose their baby teeth. If that happens, accompanied by bleeding, keep calm—this is entirely normal. You can help by cleaning their gum with sterilized gauze. Give them warm salt water to gargle and rinse; it’s a safe way to clean the empty socket.
Inform your child that it may take several weeks for a new tooth to grow in place of the baby tooth. They may be anxious over its loss, but reassure them that their new, permanent tooth will grow. It may also be a good idea to warn them that their baby teeth will keep falling until they reach their teenage years. This will help them anticipate the changes.
School-age
Tweens
Your child’s tween years, between 8 and 12, will be very crucial in terms of dental health. This is typically the period when you must look out for signs of orthodontic issues. Your child may start showing problems like overbite, underbite, crossbite, or snaggletooth, resulting in the need for braces.
Children at this age can already develop oral health issues, like tooth decay, childhood caries, gum disease, and sensitive teeth. Once again, you must remind them about good oral hygiene routines and proper brushing techniques.
A regular check-up can be very beneficial to address these concerns with a pediatric dentist or orthodontist.
Teens
The teenage years will be more challenging in various ways. Whereas you can probably trust your child to follow a proper dental hygiene routine, this is an age when puberty hits. Puberty brings about hormonal changes that can impact gum health, which probably needs more careful monitoring from regular dental check-ups.
It’s also a period where your children will be much influenced by peer pressure to boost their self-esteem. Poor dental hygiene may bring about dental issues that lower their confidence, making them moody and unpredictable. There’s also a risk of your child succumbing to bad habits like experimenting with tobacco and other substances that reverse your child’s healthy habits.
Be on the lookout for these problems and try to communicate openly with your child about any issues. Focus on preventive care while your child still has time to grow with an emphasis on how having healthy teeth will be favorable for them in the future.
Late teens and young adults
Wisdom teeth are often the bane of a late teenager’s or a young adult’s existence. If a wisdom tooth’s growth is impacted (stuck) due to the alignment of other teeth, it can bring about problems like tooth decay or crowding. Sometimes, a removal is necessary to deal with these issues.
As always, encourage your child to consult with the dentist to monitor its growth, position, and necessary treatment.
More advanced treatments like root canals now also apply to your older teens. Dental implants, crowns, fillings, and various cosmetic procedures may be considered. If so, help your child learn more about them before going through them to soothe their worries.
Conclusion
Here are the three fail-safe tips for parents on dental health: introduce your child to good oral hygiene practices; motivate them to not fear the dentist and have regular dental check-ups, and keep them fed with a balanced diet.
At Radiance Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, our pediatric dentistry service is ready to help parents keep their children’s mouths healthy. As a family person, Dr. Rath believes in educating patients, young and old, about dental and oral hygiene. Request an appointment and get the treatment you need now.
