How to Care for Baby Teeth

Today we’re going to talk about caring for baby teeth. Who doesn’t like a baby’s smile? Especially when they start getting teeth in their mouth.

Babies teeth are usually present in the jaw during birth, they start to erupt from the time of 6 months - 1 yr. Most children will have all 20 of their primary teeth, which is another name for baby teeth; by the time they turn 3. Usually the first teeth to appear are the lower front 2 teeth or upper front 2 teeth.

As most of you know, babies become very irritable and cranky and have difficulty sleeping when their teeth start coming in. There are some tips that can help you solve this problem.

Make sure to massage their gums, with clean hands. You can use a cold wet gauze, or a teething ring. Ice also helps.

Be careful of how much sugar your child is consuming. Fruit snacks, granola bars, sports drinks, those are all common at this age; and they have a lot of sugar in it.
Never send babies to bed with a bottle or anything other than water. If you do this regularly it can cause significant problems with tooth decay.
Even though babies teeth will not be in their mouth for a very long time, it’s very important to keep them clean, cavity free, and well cared for.

Not only does establishing a good hygiene routine help later in life, but poor oral hygiene in children can cause cavities in their baby teeth which can lead to permanent damage in their permanent teeth. When we tell parents that their child needs a filling and it’s a baby tooth, many are surprised to hear this. It’s important to follow through for those reasons, we don’t want to cause problems with their permanent teeth.

Sometimes on a case by case basis, we’ll decide whether a filling is required or not. If the tooth is just about to fall out, and the permanent one is about to erupt, we wouldn’t bother to fill those teeth.

In summary, caring for baby teeth is similar to caring for adult teeth. You want to minimize sugar, make sure you’re brushing twice a day for 2 minutes with a fluoridated toothpaste, flossing daily, and seeing your dentist twice a year for check ups.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call our office.

Thank You!