Understanding Infant tooth care from our Riverside Dental Wellness Office:

As parents, we strive to make the best decisions possible when it comes to our child’s health.  Which is why in this blog I am going to give simple tips for parents on how to protect their infant’s oral health.

Infant Care:

Prior to the eruption of baby teeth, it is important to wipe off the gum tissue with either cotton gauze or a soft cotton towel.  Beginning this routine of cleansing the mouth will allow the baby to get used to future mouth cleansing routines.

Infant’s teeth typically erupt around 6 months of age.  Depending on the child, some erupt teeth soon after birth and some are toothless until 18 months of age.  The earlier teeth are erupted the more prone they are to decay.  As soon as teeth begin erupting through the gums, brushing should begin.  Either a brush finger cover or baby (extra soft) toothbrush should be used to gently brush the teeth and massage the gums.  It is not necessary to use toothpaste, brushing with a wet toothbrush will suffice.

Protecting your child from ECC (early childhood caries):

Dental caries/decay is a disease of the tooth caused by acid, bacteria, and sugar.  Early childhood caries can occur in children under 6 years of age.  The most common cause of ECC is the use of a baby bottle with breast milk, formula, milk, and/or juices during napping or bedtime.

It is ideal to wean your child from nursing, bottle, or drinking from a sippy cup prior to bedtime.  Many parents find this task difficult; therefore replacing the drink with water if possible will help in decreasing the amount of acid produced in the saliva overnight.  Our Riverside Dental Wellness office does not recommend systemic fluoride for infants.

Eliminating thumb sucking and Pacifiers:

Unfortunately, there is not much we can do in regards to thumb sucking until 3 years of age.  However, the pacifier, which is a great tool for parents when soothing their child, can be taken away.  We recommend taking away the pacifier away unless for sleep and distress at the age of 12 to 18 months.

Frequency of Dental Visits:

Your child’s first visit to our Riverside Dental Wellness office should be around 1 year of age.  At this appointment, we introduce your child to our office and perform a quick exam (child willing.)  Then off to the treasure box they go!  It is extremely important to our dental team that you and your child have a wonderful first dental check.  Please contact us at 951-686-3666.