Make your kids smile healthy with kids dentist in Highland Park. Oral hygiene begins from birth. The dietary habits, the cleaning routines and the never ending habit to suck a thumb or hang on to the pacifier, they all determine the next set of teeth to come and the health of your kids gums and mouth. Let us look at the basic cleaning steps that are necessary in the formative years to keep your kids smiling for many years after wards.
The first 12 months Kids Dentistry, Highland Park
Some kids are born with neonatal teeth and this needs immediate dental hygiene or you can ask the dentist for it to be removed. If your baby doesnt have any neonatal tooth, you still need to clean the gums with a soft, damp washcloth after every feeding.
The first baby tooth emerges by six months and it needs to be cleaned. Consult the dentist for the use of fluoride toothpaste. Most dentists recommend fluoride only after age two. As your child starts teething, they get irritable, they will bite anything that they can get their hands on, and they will drool and pull ears. You can provide some comfort by massaging their gums and giving them chilled teething ring. Make sure that the teething ring is cleaned regularly.
The first year or two Kids Dentistry, Highland Park
Now that your child is one year old, a dentist visit is on the cards. This helps the dentist to establish a long term relation with the child and also discuss the dental plan about the growth years.
This is also the right time to track your childs habit of sucking thumb or use of a pacifier. Talk to the dentist about these habits to understand its effects on the bite or the lining of the upper jaw with the lower jaw.
Limit the intake of sugared drinks and drive in the habit of brushing teeth twice a day.
The terrible twos Kids Dentistry, Highland Park
By now your child is getting ready to present their viewpoints and establish their authority by not listening to you. But make sure to help them with inculcating their brushing habit. Use soft bristled, designed for kids tooth brush and help them brush their teeth twice a day. Encourage them to do it on their own but you will need to monitor that it is done right. You can use fluoride toothpaste at this point. Use a small amount on the tooth brush. Fluoride fights tooth decay and makes the teeth more resistant to decay but too much of it can lead to fluorosis.
Inculcate healthy eating habits. Sugary and starchy foods should be limited, that would mean control on cake, cookies, candy, juice, pretzel and potato chips to name a few.
Implement these simple steps and lead your childs way to a healthy smile with kids dentistry Highland Park. For more information, go to North Suburban Dental of Highland Park.
