Parents play an important role in the healthy development of their children’s teeth and overall oral health. The best way to keep your child’s smile healthy for life is to start good oral health habits early. It is necessary to brush your child’s teeth as soon as they are visible.
At the age of 3 your child has a beautiful smile and you want to make sure they keep that smile for life. The best time to start taking your child to the dentist for dental visits is around 3 years of age. If you notice anything in your child’s mouth, or on their teeth that you may be concerned about, such as brown spots, or chalky white patches, your child should be seen by a dentist as soon as possible regardless of age. If you start taking your child to the dentist at an early age, they won’t develop a fear of going to the dentist. Fear comes from not knowing about something, or not having done something before. You can start teaching your child at an early age about the dentist and the care they will give their teeth to keep them healthy. It is important to get your child used to a dentist and help them understand that they will need to see a dentist for routine dental check-ups for the rest of their lives. Allow your child and the dentist to get to know each other and develop a life-long relationship.
Primary teeth (baby teeth) are very important because they allow your child to chew their food which allows proper digestion. They are also important because they allow proper pronunciation of words so that the child learns to speak properly. The health of your child’s primary teeth can also affect the health of your child’s permanent teeth. Primary teeth hold the space for permanent teeth and help guide them into the proper position. Broken, infected, or teeth with active caries (cavities) can affect your child’s self-image.
When your child reaches 2 or 3 years of age, they will have a total of 20 primary teeth.
We have included an eruption chart for primary and permanent teeth for you to use as a guide. It is always exciting to walk your child through the natural process of loosing primary teeth, and then wait for the new permanent tooth to erupt into position.
Early childhood tooth decay is preventable by:
- Never put your child to sleep with a bottle or sippy cup of milk, juice, formula, or any liquid other than water.
- When bottle-feeding, remove the bottle when your child has finished feeding and while he is still awake. If your child falls asleep while feeding, remove the nipple from the mouth and wipe the teeth with a cloth to remove the remaining milk from the teeth.
- Give your infant or toddler water to drink between meals.
- Start weaning your child from the bottle and introducing a cup by 1 year of age.
- Clean your child’s teeth and gums daily. Wipe the gums with a clean cloth, and bush the teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush.