subject: Dental Care For Children [print this page] Parents of young children often do not know when their child should first begin taking care of their oral health. When is it appropriate for them to visit a dentist? The answers to these questions may surprise you. A child's teeth begin to form during the second trimester of a pregnancy. After a child is born, bacteria will begin to form in his or her mouth and must be cleaned. In order to prevent dental problems with young children, it is recommended that parents start cleaning their child's mouth at a young age.
Proper Care For A Young Child's Teeth
When a child is first born, they will be toothless. After feedings, it is helpful for you to run a damp washcloth over your child's gums. This will remove any bacteria from building up on the gums. Once teeth begin to show through your child's teeth, you should begin to brush them with a child's toothbrush or rub them with gauze at the end of the day to remove any bacteria. For parents, it is also important to feed your child responsibly in order for them to maintain their oral health. Putting a baby to sleep with a bottle in its mouth can be harmful to the baby's teeth. Having them exposed to the sugars in juices and milk for many hours can be damaging to their teeth. In the worst cases, a child's teeth may have to be pulled before their adult teeth come in.
By the time your child is two or three years old, it is appropriate to have them start brushing with toothpaste. For young children, it is important to let them know that they should not swallow the toothpaste. If a child starts to get in the habit of brushing their teeth daily, the habit can stay with them for the rest of their lives. It is much easier to learn a habit early on in life than it is to try to start later on in life.
How Your Appleton Dentist Can Help
Many parents wonder when it is appropriate for their child to first visit the dentist. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends first visiting a dentist when the child's first tooth appears, or right around the first birthday. For the first few dental visits, you may want to consider taking your child to a pediatric dentist that is specially trained to deal with children. When the child is a little older, you can start taking him or her to your Appleton dentist.
It is important for parents to remember that dental care for their child should start at an early age. Taking care of a child's primary teeth is important because it can teach a child important lessons about how to take care of their teeth and the primary teeth set a path for the permanent teeth to follow when they emerge later in life. Talk to your dentist in Appleton today to learn more about children's oral health or to schedule an appointment.
by: Gen Wright
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