National Children's Dental Health Month: Caring for little teeth

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Marylyn Bergmann
  • 6th Medical Group
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  By the time your baby has at least two teeth that touch each other, usually around 6 months; is when they will need to be cleaned morning and night. Parents often underestimate the importance of brushing baby teeth; which sets the decay pattern for the adult mouth. In fact, about 25 percent of 3-years-old kids have tooth decay.

For a brighter future use the right tools. A cloth, to rub the gums and teeth clean is fine for an infant. For toddlers and up, choose a brush with soft bristles and a small head. Use a tiny amount of toothpaste (the size of a grain of rice); a non-fluoridated variety until your child can spit it all out. Swallowing too much fluoride can cause unsightly white spotting of adult teeth.

At first, do it yourself. You can graduate to placing your hand over theirs when they are about 3 years old. Until they reach six or seven, children will not have the motor skills to maneuver the brush alone.

Be thorough. Using a circular motion, clean all surfaces of the teeth and gum line. If your dentist suggest it, have children chew "disclosing tablets" (after they have brushed) which dye plaque and highlight missed areas. Make sure to use floss once a day. Simple brushing only accounts for cleaning 60 percent of the mouth. The other 40 percent is in between the teeth where most cavities start.

Talk to your dentist for more information. If your child has not had a dental examination, schedule a checkup for his or her teeth. The American Dental Association says that it is beneficial for the first dental visit to occur within six months of the appearance of the first tooth and no later than the child's first birthday.