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As soon as teeth appear in your baby’s mouth, it’s possible for your baby to develop cavities. It is important to keep your baby’s gums and teeth clean to prevent tooth decay, even in baby teeth.

Keep Baby’s Gums and Teeth Clean

Begin cleaning your baby's mouth during the first few days after birth. After every feeding, wipe your baby's gums with a clean gauze pad. This removes plaque and food, and helps your baby become used to having its gums and teeth cleaned – and it will make tooth brushing easier later on.

Brush the teeth of kids over age 2 with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Be sure they spit out the toothpaste.

Baby Teeth Are Important

Kids need strong, healthy baby teeth to chew their food, speak and have a good-looking smile. Baby teeth also keep a space in the jaw for permanent teeth.

If a baby tooth is lost too early, the permanent tooth beside it may drift into the empty space. When it's time for the other permanent teeth to come in, there may not be enough room. This can make the teeth crooked or crowded. Starting your babies off with good oral care can help protect their teeth for life.

Baby Teeth Decay

Your child’s baby teeth are at risk for decay as soon as they show up - usually around age 6 months. Tooth decay in infants and toddlers usually occurs in the upper front teeth, but it can also occur in other teeth. In some cases, infants and toddlers have experienced decay so severe that the teeth cannot be saved and need to be removed. The good news – decay is mostly preventable.

What Are Cavities?

Causes of Decay

Tooth decay begins when cavity-causing bacteria is passed to an infant. For example, if you put your baby’s spoon or pacifier in your mouth and then put it in your baby’s mouth, cavity-causing bacteria is passed to the baby.

Another cause of tooth decay in babies is frequent or long exposure to liquids that contain sugar, such as fruit juices, soda or other sweetened liquids.

To Bed Without a Bottle

It’s also important to put your baby to bed WITHOUT a bottle. Sugary liquids from a bottle pool around the teeth while the child sleeps. Bacteria in the mouth use these sugars as food. They then produce acids that attack the teeth. Each time your child drinks these liquids, acids attack for 20 minutes or longer. After these attacks, the teeth can decay.

Pacifiers dipped in sugar, honey or sweetened liquids can also lead to tooth decay since the sugar or honey can provide food for the bacteria’s acid attacks.

Fluoride is nature’s cavity fighter and occurs naturally in water and some foods.  To help protect teeth from cavities, fluoride is added to dental products like toothpaste. Check out some of this great information from our partners at 2min2x, a partner of Healthy Mouth, Healthy Lives.

 How does fluoride protect teeth?

Fluoride helps make your kids’ teeth stronger, which helps prevent decay. It also stops early stage tooth decay. Brushing with fluoride toothpaste gets the fluoride right onto the surface of teeth. When fluoride is on teeth, it helps strengthen teeth enamel.

Also, teeth get fluoride from water that’s been fluoridated, other beverages and some foods, which also helps make tooth enamel stronger.

 Why use fluoride toothpaste?

Tooth brushing helps remove plaque, but only fluoride toothpaste helps remove plaque and strengthen tooth enamel.

 Should kids use fluoride toothpaste?

Under 2 years old

Do not use fluoride toothpaste unless your dentist or other health professional says so. When your kid’s teeth start to appear, even if it’s just a few teeth, brush them with a soft child-sized toothbrush and a little water.

Ages 2-6 years old

Place a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste on a soft toothbrush and brush your kid’s teeth 2min2x (2 minutes, 2 times a day). Help young kids brush their teeth and teach them to spit out the toothpaste. They shouldn’t swallow it.

Ages 6+

Check to make sure your child is able to brush his teeth himself and knows not to swallow the toothpaste. Continue to be a good role model by supervising them when they brush 2min2x – 2 minutes, 2 times a day.

Baby teeth usually appear when your baby is between 6 months to 1 year old. The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives, recommends a dentist, such as Dr. Tang, examine your child no later than their first birthday. In addition to checking for tooth decay and other problems, Dr. Tang can show you how to clean your child's teeth properly and how to deal with any issues like THUMB SUCKING.

Baby Teeth Chart

Baby Teeth and Teething Tips

• When babies are teething, they may become fussy, sleepless and irritable, lose their appetite or drool more than usual. Diarrhea, rashes and a fever are not normal for a teething baby. If your baby has a fever or diarrhea while teething or continues to be cranky and uncomfortable, call your doctor.
• Babies may get sore or tender gums when their teeth cut their gums. Gently rubbing your child’s gums with a clean finger, a small, cool spoon or a wet gauze pad can soothe them. A clean teething ring may also help.
• When baby teeth break through the gums, brush the teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a little water to prevent tooth decay. Talk to your dentist about when to start using fluoridated toothpaste.
• If your child is already using fluoridated toothpaste, it is important to help him/her with brushing and teach them to spit out the toothpaste. They shouldn’t swallow it.
• Begin regular dental checkups no later than your child’s first birthday for “smile” insurance.

If your child suffers from dental anxiety, a visit to our office might seem like a daunting prospect. Perhaps they had a bad experience in the past, but whatever the reason; please know that at our office, there is nothing to be afraid of. We understand that many kids may be anxious about receiving dental treatments, and we’re here to help them have a comfortable, pain-free experience that will put both their and your fears to rest.

Treatment

If your child experiences dental anxiety, it is important to let our office know in advance, so we can provide your child with the dental care they need, with an added touch of TLC. We can assist by explaining behavioral techniques for relaxation, by administering general anesthesia, or by prescribing a relaxing medication prior to your dental procedure.

Is sedation on children safe?

Sedation is safe when administered by a trained pediatric dentist who follows the sedation guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Tang will discuss sedation options and patient monitoring for the protection of your child.