children Archives - West Los Angeles Dental Care

Home  /  Blog  /  children

Baby Teeth | Oral Hygiene

May 16, 2014 Afshin Golyad DDS. , , , ,

 

Brushing Baby Teeth

Even before baby teeth start to show; it’s a good idea to get into the habit of wiping their gums (Healthy Gums and Teeth Page) with gauze or a soft wet washcloth during bath time or before bed time. At this point, the tooth paste is still not necessary. Simply place the gauze around the finger and gently rub that on the gum.

Bacteria (Bad Breath Fight | Following Tips To Reduce The Bad Breath Page) in the mouth usually can not cause cavity (Cavity Treatment and Prevention Page) or gum disease (Gum Disease | Gum Disease Treatment Page) before the baby teeth are erupted, but it can be hard to tell when the baby teeth are starting to come out, so you’ll want to start early. Getting a baby to get used to getting his/her teeth clean helps in the long term so they can learn to have it done themselves.

 

Maintaining Healthy Baby Teeth

Baby Teeth Oral Hygiene Info.

Baby Teeth Oral Hygiene

As your child’s baby teeth start to erupt beginning around 6 months old, look for a baby toothbrush with a small head.  Use a tiny amount of fluoride (Children Oral Health | When and How to Teach Them? Page) toothpaste. A dot the size of a grain of rice is usually adequate. Twice a day brush inside and outside of each tooth as well as chewing surfaces. Because you are using such a small amount of tooth paste for the baby teeth you do not need to have your child rinse out unless he/she likes to do that. As soon as you see the bristles of the tooth brush being worn out, change the brush to a new brush (Teeth Brushing Mastering Tips Page).  Since most baby teeth have enough gap between them to be able to clean, you do not have to worry about flossing, but it is recommended to practice that so your child gets used to the idea of flossing (Dental Flossing Mastering Instructions Page) at the time of brushing.

 

Baby Teeth | Fluoride

Baby teeth can also benefit from a little fluoride. The fluoride prevents development of cavity, strengthening teeth, and making them more resistance to acids and harmful bacteria. Please be aware that a little of fluoride is very helpful in development of healthy teeth (Healthy Gums | Healthy Teeth | A Lifetime Commitment Page), too much of it can cause a condition called fluorosis (Dental Fluorosis Wiki Page). It causes white spots to show up on the permanent teeth as they erupt.

Most municipal water supplies are fortified with adequate fluoride so it is a good idea to call the department of water in your area and ask how much fluoride they mix in the water. If the amount of fluoride content of less than 0.3 parts per million, ask your child’s doctor or dentist whether you should give your child a fluoride supplement.

For more questions about baby teeth | Oral Hygiene, or if you want to schedule your teeth whitening appointment please contact our office.

  • 12340 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 241 West Los Angeles, CA 90025
  • (310)820-7010

contact@westladentalcare.com


Children Oral Health | When and How to Teach Them?

March 7, 2014 Afshin Golyad DDS. ,

Children Oral Health

Maintaining our children oral health and teaching our kids how to maintain their oral hygiene is one of the most important things a parent can teach his/her children. A proper oral care remains with the child for the rest of his/her life. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to make the process fun for the child. A good example is to brush with your children and show her/him how brushing(Read More about Brushing Tips) is something that has to be done everyday and is part of everyday life. Skipping brushing shows the child that it is not as important. Regular brushing sends a message that your children oral health care if valuable. Today there are many fun tooth brushes with cartoon characters that the child enjoys holding in his/her hand. There are many tooth pastes with different taste since not all kids like the same taste in their mouth. It is important to make sure only a small amount of paste is placed on the brush since the younger children have a tendency to swallow the paste. As they get older, you can teach them not to swallow and perhaps place as much a pea size paste on the brush.

In the first few years of life flossing perhaps would not be as necessary as later in life but by starting early we can teach the child how it is part of the everyday oral care.

Steps to Maintain Your Children Oral Health:

  • bl-dental-careBrush twice a day for two minutes. Electric tooth brushes are easier for a child to hold on to and does a better job cleaning. A tooth paste with fluoride is strongly suggested to help reduce production of cavities.
  • If your child eats a lot of sweets, make sure he/she brushes right after and that includes juices and sodas. Carbonated sodas even those without sugar can dissolve the enamel and cause cavity in the long term.
  • Use tap water if possible. LADWP places fluoride in the drinking water which helps reduce cavity. Using filter on the tap water does not remove the fluoride but if you are using bottle water, you may need to consult your dentist or pediatrician for supplemental fluoride.
  • Have your child see a dentist at least twice a year. If you see dark spots or holes on the teeth make sure you see your dentist ASAP.
  • It is good to see the dentist in the younger age perhaps as early as age 2. Although your child may not allow any treatment, but just seeing that going to the dentist can be fun and routine can help him/her to relax at the time so when it is time to have a cleaning or x-rays done, he/she is not scared. It is always helpful if the parents also have a dentist appointment at the same time so the child can watch the parents and learn on how to behave.