5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Baby Teeth

As their teeth emerge, their dental needs will also start to evolve. As a parent, you have an opportunity to help your child to pick up health habits for life. With your help, they will develop a lifelong appreciation for taking good care of their teeth, allowing them to care for their teeth for the rest of their life.

This is also a key time when dental phobias may develop, so it’s important to be aware about how your words and actions around dental visits can influence your child’s feelings.

With this in mind, we’re exploring some of the top things that every parent needs to know about their child’s teeth and how to support the best possible oral health.

5 things every parent needs to know about baby teeth

With so much to think about when your baby is small, oral hygiene can often be forgotten about. However, tooth decay can begin as soon as your baby’s teeth appear. This is why it is so important to put in place good oral hygiene routines from a very young age. These are some of our favourite tips for helping your child to develop healthy habits for life.

1. Good dental health starts with the baby teeth

Although they are later replaced with adult teeth, baby teeth form a crucial part of your baby’s development. They help your child chew, speak and smile, as well as maintaining the spaces required for their adult teeth. Even habits like thumb sucking and mouth breathing can influence how your child’s palate develops. 

Teething starts at around 6 months, when baby teeth will begin to appear, and this will continue until age 3 when they will have a full set of baby teeth. Enamel, which is the strong layer that protects your teeth, is thinner in baby teeth than adult teeth and this makes them more prone to cavities.

This means that small issues with tooth decay will develop much more quickly. For this reason, regular dental checkups are essential.

2. First dental visits should take place when the baby teeth arrive

It is important that your child attends for the first dental visit when their first tooth appears, or by the time they are one year old. 

Your family dentist will be able to help and advise you on the best oral hygiene routine to follow and provide treatment swiftly if any issues develop. Studies have shown that early dental visits can help to reduce cavities risks by providing preventive measures to keep teeth healthy. 

It is important that your child attends for appointments every 6 months following their first visit. Regular visits also help to prevent your child from developing a fear of the dentist.

3. Start brushing as soon as teeth appear

Decay can happen as soon as teeth first appear, so you should start brushing at the same time. You should brush your child’s teeth twice a day, in the morning and before bed. 

A great way to encourage children to take care of their teeth is to help them brush and have them watch you do it as well. Most children cannot effectively brush on their own until at least 8 years of age so it is important that you continue to help them as they grow up.

Studies have shown that children’s brushing habits are largely influenced by their parents’ brushing habits. So, encouraging and teaching your child to brush their teeth can have a lasting impact on their oral hygiene and well into their adult years.

The same can be said for healthy eating and prioritising tooth-friendly food and drink options. Children might not listen to your words, but they will pay attention to your actions. 

4. Baby teeth are more sensitive to decay

Baby teeth are more susceptible to decay because they have a thinner layer of enamel. Fluoride in tap water and toothpaste helps to provide an extra level of defence to your child’s baby and adult teeth. The fluoride is absorbed into the outer layer of the teeth, making them stronger and better able to resist decay.

Dental sealants can also be used to further protect your child’s teeth. Dental sealants are a thin coating that is painted on teeth to protect them from cavities. This can be a highly effective way to prevent tooth decay in young children. 

5. Baby teeth can also be harmed by finger sucking and dummies

It is common for children to use dummies or suck their thumbs. But prolonged sucking can change the position of their teeth. This can make it hard to chew or speak and can cause adult teeth to be displaced as well. Ideally, dummies should be removed by the time your child turns 3, to reduce the risk of any oral damage. It can also reduce the chances that your child will need braces.

Even though your child will lose their baby teeth, they should be cared for as though they were permanent. Maintaining baby teeth largely falls on the adults who care for them. 

Simply keeping your own teeth healthy and brushing your teeth regularly can have a positive impact on your child’s oral health. By helping prevent dental decay and forming good oral hygiene habits with your children, you can help them keep their smiles for a lifetime.

Closing thoughts on caring for baby teeth

By keeping these facts in mind, you can ensure your child is on the way to a healthy smile for the rest of their lives. Their adult teeth will be here before you know it, and they will be better equipped to care for their teeth in the long-term. 

Regular contact with the dentist can also help to reduce the risk of your child developing a fear of the dentist. Your child shouldn’t see the dentist as a person to be afraid of, even if this can help to enforce good oral health habits. It’s far better than they see their dentist as a good person that they want to impress with their good oral health.

If you would like to book a dental appointment for your child, do not hesitate to call the surgery on 01702 472929.