Do you know how to take care of your newborn babys teeth?

You are a first-time mother, so you still wonder how to take care of your newborn baby's teeth? Let aFamilyToday Health guide you.

You are still faintly happy when holding your baby in your arms after a strenuous 9 months of pregnancy. One day, you discover a few teeth are starting to appear. Baby looks so funny. However, how to take care of teeth when a baby is too young?

Dental care for your baby before teething is very important because this will help your baby form a daily habit of oral hygiene. Tooth decay is a common disease and there is no other way to prevent it than to take care of your teeth every day. Having healthy teeth is very important for babies because without it, they will not be able to chew food.

When should I bring my baby to the dentist for dental examination?

You should take your baby to check teeth when one year old. When visiting, the dentist will tell you more ways to take care of your baby's mouth, how to feed your baby, how to brush teeth as well as advise you on choosing the right toothpaste for your baby.

The first is gum care

Even if your baby has not teething, you should still take care of your baby's gums every day. This does not require the use of a toothbrush or toothpaste, just take the following steps:

Take the tongue swab wrapped around the tip of the index finger, soaked in saline. Gently rub your baby's gums at least twice a day. You should not wipe too much as this will damage the gums. Alternatively, you can use a thumbbrush that can be inserted with index finger to clean your baby's gums.

Do this after meals and before bed. This will contribute to forming a habit of oral hygiene for the baby in the future. Besides, gum care also helps eliminate bacteria in the gums. These bacteria often cause plaque, adversely affecting the teething of the baby.

Take care of your first teeth

You think that taking care of your baby teeth is not necessary because sooner or later these teeth will fall out and teething another. This is not a correct thought because baby teeth are so important to babies. Baby teeth will help your baby chew food and help her talk. If you do not take care of your baby's teeth, he or she is prone to tooth decay.

How to brush your baby's teeth

You should start caring for your baby's teeth from the moment they start to pop up. Some babies will teething at 6 months of age, while others will teething late or earlier than this time.

When your baby starts to teething, you should give your baby a toothbrush, which is specially designed for the baby. These brushes often have small round heads, soft bristles and handles that fit the baby's hand.

When your baby is 1 year old, you should start training your baby to use toothpaste. However, you should choose creams that do not contain fluoride. Until your baby is 2 years old, you can give your baby a low fluoride toothpaste.

You should brush your baby gently, focusing on the junction between the teeth and gums.

Ask your baby to spit out the toothpaste after brushing and rinse his mouth a lot to get rid of the toothpaste completely.

If your baby doesn't like brushing his teeth, give him a toothbrush so he feels he can do it.

If your baby is too playful, put him in bed and brush his teeth. Once your baby gets used to it, switch to the bathroom.

Change your toothbrush every 3 - 4 weeks. If the bristles break, change them immediately.

Should the baby use toothpaste or not?

When your baby is too young, the use of toothpaste is completely unnecessary. If you are still not comfortable, give your baby a special toothpaste for babies, as these usually do not contain too much fluoride. Before giving it to your baby, you should still consult your dentist.

Before giving your baby toothpaste, teach him how to brush his teeth. Let your baby practice for a few weeks. After brushing, gently rub your baby's gums. This ensures the baby's oral and dental hygiene both inside and out.

Note when choosing toothpaste for children

Infant toothpaste is different from adult toothpaste. Therefore, you should choose carefully. Fluoride is a key ingredient in toothpaste to help prevent tooth decay. However, toothpaste containing too much of this substance will poison the baby. That's why you should choose creams with only a certain amount of fluoride that are suitable for your baby.

If the baby is under three years old, the toothpaste must contain a fluoride content of less than 1,000ppm (1,000 / 1,000,000).

If you are over three years old, your baby can brush teeth with a toothpaste containing fluoride content at about 1,350 - 1,500ppm. Using a toothpaste in excess of this fluoride will cause damage, tooth damage, vomiting and diarrhea.

If your baby has a habit of swallowing toothpaste, change toothpaste with 550ppm or less and see if he or she will quit this habit.

Other oral care methods

In addition to brushing, you should note the following to better care for your baby's teeth:

Do not give your baby foods containing too much sugar, especially those containing chemical sugar. Limit the amount of sweets before meals. Children should not eat sweet foods more than 4 times a day.

When offering snacks, you should offer them vegetables, cheese or other sugar-free foods.

Normal suckling causes tooth decay. Therefore, you should refer to the article Caring and preventing tooth decay for children at bottle-feeding age to protect their teeth well.

Do not let your baby drink fruit juices and other carbonated drinks to prevent tooth decay.

Try to practice your baby the habit of drinking from a cup. You should limit bottle feeding when your baby is one year old.

Maintain a healthy and nutritious diet. Avoid processed and packaged foods such as pasta, chocolate ...

Through the sharing above, hope you have some more useful information about brushing for babies. Babies are in a period of rapid development so pay attention to daily care for good health.