Summer holidays are a time of routine changes that can lead to dental health problems
Changes in eating habits and hygiene can encourage the appearance of caries in children, which is why the Official College of Dentists and Stomatologists of Valencia (ICOEV) provides the following basic tips to avoid childhood caries during the holidays:
- Follow good oral hygiene daily
- Brush your teeth after each meal.
- Count on the help of an adult.
- Follow the recommended doses of fluoride toothpaste and prevent them from swallowing it.
- Follow a balanced diet.
- Avoid excessive consumption of foods rich in sugar, acids or sticky foods and limiting the consumption of soft drinks, sweets, smoothies, juices, ice cream, etc.
- In the case of babies, it is advisable not to take them to sleep with the bottle. Especially if it contains milk, juice or any other type of sugary or acidic liquid, as it increases the risk of decay formation.
- The first visit to the pediatric dentist should be made no later than once the milk dentition is completed in order to detect and prevent future problems (caries, malocclusions, enamel defects, harmful habits, etc.). It is advisable to perform at least one annual dental check-up. These first visits will also help to normalize the visit to the dentist, avoiding possible future fears.
- Maintain constant hydration with water.
How to clean my baby’s teeth?
When should I start cleaning my baby’s teeth? How should I brush my baby’s teeth? Do I have to take special care? What should I take into account? Our dentists and dental hygienists at Centre Dental M. Castellsagué solve these and many more doubts that every parent can have when taking care of their child’s dental hygiene.
Here we recommend some simple tips to take care of good children’s dental hygiene.
It is necessary to adapt the type of dental hygiene to the age of the baby.
Dental hygiene in newborn babies up to 12 months:
- When you still don’t have teeth:
Our dentists and hygienists recommend that, even if the first tooth has not appeared, you start taking care of the baby’s oral hygiene. It is necessary to monitor since the gum is very sensitive, so we will gently clean the gums with sterile gauze wet with water from 4 months.
- When the first tooth comes out:
When the first tooth comes out, we recommend starting to brush your first teeth with a baby brush with soft filaments (silicone thimble) and water.
Dental hygiene in babies aged 12 to 24 months:
The best way to brush your teeth for a baby from 1 to 2 years of age is to use a special baby brush with soft filaments 2 times a day (we recommend after breakfast and before bedtime).
- Prevention:
- Control sugar intake. Taking too much sugar at this age can be very harmful to your health, so it is important to control its consumption. For example, in the case of fruit juice, we recommend seeing a maximum of one cup of coffee and during a meal to improve sugar absorption and reduce aggression to the teeth.
- Consult your baby’s suction habits with your pediatrician or dentist. Sucking the pacifier or thumb excessively or for too long can deform the mouth and cause modifications in the placement of teeth by deforming the bite.
- Dental check-up. It is time to visit the dentist for the first time (if it has not been necessary before) to check that everything is fine and receive more advice on hygiene and prevention for babies.
Educating in habit from an early age
Dental hygiene from 24 months:
From the age of 2 you can already start brushing yourself under parental supervision and reviewing them after self-brushing. We recommend using a children’s toothbrush (yes, as always, with soft filaments). There are different types of toothbrushes for children over 2 years old. We recommend that you have a small headboard (the smaller the better so that it is more comfortable for the child) and that the filaments are as smooth as possible to avoid damaging the gums and milk teeth.
How to teach a child to brush their teeth and acquire the habit?
The best thing to learn is to see an example and more in the case of children of this age. If you brush your teeth accompanied by your child, they will see dental hygiene as a natural act and it will be easier for them to integrate it into their routine. Also, if you turn brushing into a fun time, even better! For example, you can use songs or toys to turn brushing into a whole family activity that is pleasant for the child.
-
- How to brush your teeth?
- Put the size of a toothpaste pea on the brush.
- Brushing order. Divide the mouth into 4 parts: the upper jaw in half and the lower jaw too. Start with a quadrant and follow in order. This way it is easier to make sure that the entire mouth has been brushed.
- Brush placement and movement. Place the brush horizontally with a 45º inclination oriented to the gum and can brush with horizontal movements from front to back. When the child is older and already has the final teeth (from the age of 7 they begin to change them) the brushing movement will have to be changed to vertical from gum to tooth, gum to tooth…
- Parts to brush. All sides of the teeth should be brushed: the inner part of the teeth, the outer and upper part.
- Don’t forget the language. Once you brush your teeth, you will gently need to brush your tongue.
- Sip with water once brushing is finished.
- How to brush your teeth?
Tips:
- Brush your teeth 2 or 3 times a day.
- Make sure you don’t swallow your toothpaste. Teach him that he has to spit.
- Consult the dentist if you can already start using children’s toothpaste (suitable for each age) with fluoride (if the child still does not know how to spit and there is a risk of swallowing the paste, it is better that it is without fluoride).
- Take the dentist for a check-up and finish resolving any questions that may arise about hygiene and dental prevention.
Remember that the ages indicated here are indicative (each case is different), so we recommend consulting your pediatrician or dentist if there are doubts about whether to take the next step.
More questions?
Come and see us and our team of registered dentists and dental hygienists will finish solving your doubts. And if you come now, you are still in time to enjoy the gift for patients: a mouthwash kit and an eco bag!