Early habits die hard. It is important for parents to know how important a role teeth play in children’s overall health. Healthy teeth reflects a healthy mouth and body.

What kind of oral care is required for your child to keep his teeth healthy?

The major responsibility to keep a child’s teeth and gums healthy lies with the parents.

The truth is that taking care of oral health starts in infancy even before the first tooth cuts through. Actually all the teeth have developed before the baby is born! Only, they become visible a few months or a year after the baby is born. Healthy gums result in healthy teeth.

Steps to be taken for an infant’s oral health

• After every feed wipe your child’s jaws with a soft cloth to remove remnants of feed from the moth because it may give way to growth of bacteria.
• After the first tooth erupts, use fluoride a little tiny amount of toothpaste on a small soft tooth brush to brush them.
• Avoid milk bottle tooth decay, by removing the bottle from the mouth.
• Most important thing is to schedule the first appointment with the dentist. This visit is only to establish good relationship with the paediatric dentist and his chair.
• The dental routine needs to be established by toddlerhood.
• When you start the dental care routine, it is important to interest your baby and infant in brushing. Encourage your children after 2 years to start brushing his/her teeth himself. Some parents encourage children to brush by providing cartoon character brushes and so on.
• Supervision is vital while setting the good dental care habits. Spend at least two minutes with toddlers to see whether they are using the tooth brush in front and back.

As children grow up, the oral hygiene routine should take shape and should become a part of their daily schedule.

Dental care regimen for 3 year olds

• Dental routine habits for 3 year olds should continue as before. All the temporary or primary baby teeth cut through by the age of 3 in the children. Around age 6 the primary teeth fall out and give way to permanent teeth. There may be gaps between teeth when teeth are erupting and that’s what makes for cute photographs of children with gaps in between teeth.
• When the children turn 3 you should begin a dental health regime, which can be as explained below:
• Use fluoride toothpaste for children because it provides much needed fluoride for healthy teeth.
• Brushing the teeth twice a day for 2 minutes is important because only then the plaque and bacteria build up will be removed. Brushing before going to bed is extremely important because the bacteria gets a good time to work on the food in the mouth while the child is not using his teeth during sleep.
• When two teeth erupt side by side, it is a good time to start flossing. Teach your child how to floss. Back teeth should also be brushed.
• Take an appointment with your child’s dentist at least once in six months.

Dental care for teenagers

Teenagers get all their teeth by 13. A regular routine for dental hygiene is very important, to keep teeth and gums healthy for teenagers.

Taking advantage of their increased attention to their appearance, it is a good idea to remind them that teeth are a significant part of attractive appearance.

Steps to follow for healthy oral routine for teenagers:

• If you had started them early on dental regime, they would have learnt to brush the teeth for at least two minutes. Flossing removes food particles from between the teeth which helps keep the teeth safe during night.
• If your children are in rigorous sports, it helps to wear a mouth guard to keep the teeth safe from injury.
• Encourage children who wear braces to brush and floss to stop white spots on teeth when braces come off.

The importance of building good habits

The way a child sees himself depends on how he looks. Al know a child’s teeth are responsible for his smile. Healthy teeth result in attractive smile, which in turn gives the child a certain amount of confidence in speaking and talking. Self-confidence is very important for all the dealing in society, in the children’s case it is school and friends in the neighbourhood.

Lack of dental care often results in tooth decay in children which necessitates extractions. The space created by extraction gets filled up by movement of nearby teeth. When the permanent teeth erupt, they become crowded because the place is already occupied by the movement of earlier teeth.

Dental care routine and nutrition

It is vital to build a proper schedule for brushing and flossing. These habits will be carried on into adulthood and will help in prevention of teeth decay in later years.

The nutrition plays an important role in oral health. Avoid sugary and sticky snacks for children of all ages. Especially before bedtime , sugary sweets and candies should be avoided at all costs.

Older children should be given healthy snacks for school because you have lesser control over them now as they like to be part of their school gang. Try to set good example by eating well yourself. The school lunch should have lots of fruits and vegetables which will help in prevention of teeth decay.

Even after trying your best to instil good oral hygiene habits in children there may be tooth problems that occur.  It would be helpful if you keep the routine of visiting your paediatric dentist regularly so that any problem that occurs can be taken care of immediately and without long treatment.

Regular visits help in checking whether there is any crowding or crooked teeth that may result while permanent teeth are erupting.