Take care of your baby’s teeth!

Dental Care for Babies 

Dental care in babies is extremely important for the development of teeth that will be used for a lifetime. Dental care begins before your teeth erupt. Until the childhood period, parents should support their teeth brushing and oral hygiene habits.

Dental care in babies is not just about cleaning and brushing teeth. A healthy diet is also very important in terms of dental care. Give only breast milk for the first six months. Thanks to its antibacterial properties, breast milk will also protect your baby’s teeth against bacteria. Avoid giving your baby sugary foods and drinks. Bottle use can also pose a risk to oral and dental health. Especially in babies who sleep with a bottle, the risk of tooth decay increases. If you use a pacifier, do not apply honey or sugary liquids to the pacifier and breastfeed.

When your baby’s teeth start to erupt, have them checked by a dentist and have regular dental check-ups.

Brushing teeth for babies 

You can use finger brushes in the early period. You should pay attention to the amount of toothpaste. Until the age of 3, you should use your baby’s toothpaste in small amounts. From the age of 3, you can use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. Gently wiping the gums twice a day with a warm, damp and clean cloth when your baby is about 3 months old before the first tooth erupts is the first step in getting your baby into brushing habit.

Brush your baby’s teeth at least twice a day at certain times. Brush all the surfaces of the teeth slowly in circles and do not skip brushing.

Children will not like brushing teeth. You can make him love it by turning it into a game. After a while, he may want to do it himself. In this case, help him brush himself and teach him to spit out the toothpaste.

Position your baby so that you can see their mouth and they feel safe. Sit with your baby’s head on your lap, take his chin between your hands, and lean his head against your body. Lift your baby’s lip to clean their teeth in soft, circular motions. Clean the front and back of each tooth up to the gum line. You can keep your baby busy by giving a toy or singing a song. This will keep the baby busy and make cleaning teeth fun.

It is necessary to brush your baby’s teeth with a soft brush designed for babies, even after the teeth begin to erupt, and if he is uncomfortable with brushing, it is necessary to clean the front and back sides of the teeth with a warm, damp and clean cloth. Until the age of two, they should use the toothbrush with warm water. The aim here is not only to clean the teeth, but also to give your baby the habit of brushing teeth. On the other hand, in this period when babies tend to copy, it will be beneficial for parents to brush their teeth with their babies in order to gain a habit in later ages.

If your child wants to brush their own teeth, make their first try without paste. Once you’ve learned to spit out the paste, keep doing it with the paste. Be sure to watch him while brushing his teeth, pay attention to the amount of toothpaste he takes, make sure he does not eat the toothpaste. You may need to do this process until at least 7 years old.

How Should Oral Care Be Taken for 3-6 Months-Old Babies?

From birth, the baby’s mouth should be checked regularly. Because the immune system has not yet developed, unwanted infections such as thrush may develop in the baby’s mouth. Symptoms of some diseases may manifest themselves as intraoral lesions. Since the baby cannot express himself, his mouth should be checked frequently.

When your baby starts to gain the ability to hold hands, he can sometimes get foreign objects in his mouth and this can be life-threatening for him. If your baby has recently had a febrile illness, blisters and sores may have formed in his mouth and especially on the gums. Attention should be paid to the feeding of the baby in order to increase the body resistance in the time close to the eruption of the teeth.

Oral hygiene is important because early childhood caries can be seen more frequently in babies who are not breastfed. In order to prevent early childhood caries (baby bottle caries) in milk teeth, after feeding, especially before going to sleep at night, gauze or a piece of cheesecloth should be wrapped around the mother’s finger and the teeth should be wiped clean.

Breastfeeding with a bottle, using sweetened pacifiers, giving sweet foods and drinks at frequent intervals, acidic fruit juices given with a bottle cause early caries. With the eruption of the first milk teeth, the baby’s existing teeth should be cleaned with a piece of gauze after each feeding.

It is also extremely important for families to provide their own oral and dental care. Parents and caregivers should not use common cutlery, glasses and toothbrushes with babies, they should not clean the baby’s pacifier by putting it in their mouths, they should clean it with soap and water.

How Should Oral Care Be Taken for 6-12 Month Old Babies?

You can start brushing once your baby’s teeth begin to erupt . Although it is difficult to brush your baby’s teeth, it is important for him to develop the habit of brushing.

During this period, your baby will start teething periodically. You should monitor these developments of your baby and consult your doctor in case of any abnormality.

You should regularly check whether there is an undesirable condition in your baby’s mouth. Since you will start complementary foods gradually from the age of 6 months, you should clean the food residues left in your baby’s mouth.

From 6 months, you should feed your baby with cups and spoons. You should not use a bottle. If you have a habit of thumb sucking, you can use a pacifier from the age of one. Otherwise, do not use a pacifier. Using a pacifier can negatively affect the baby’s teeth and speech development.

Here are some tips on brushing teeth for babies: 

• Try to brush your baby’s teeth after they start to erupt. Brush their teeth by applying fluoride toothpaste to the toothbrush in a very light and staining manner until the age of 3 years, and in a pea-sized amount between the ages of 3-6 years.
• Brush your baby’s teeth twice a day, especially before bedtime. When brushing, brush slowly, gently, without irritating the gums and covering all tooth surfaces.
• Brush the teeth in small circles to cover all surfaces, and then have your child spit out the toothpaste. There is no need to rinse your child’s mouth with water as it will prevent fluoride from remaining in the mouth.
• Make sure your child gets the right amount of toothpaste and does not eat or lick toothpaste from the tube.
• Keep helping your child brush their teeth until you are sure they can do well enough. This assistance can last up to 7 years of age.
• After cleaning your baby’s teeth and gums, rinse the toothbrush with tap water.
• Store the toothbrush upright in an open container to allow it to air dry.
• Replace toothbrushes every 3-4 months or when the bristles are worn.

When should I take my baby to the dentist? 

When your baby’s teeth start to come out, be sure to show them to a dentist. This usually coincides with the 12th month. After this stage, have regular dental check-ups. Regular dental check-ups will allow your child’s teeth to come out healthy, deformities and caries can be detected early. In addition, your dentist will inform you about your child’s oral and dental care during these controls.

Sugar and tooth decay 

One of the most important causes of dental caries in children is sugar-containing foods and drinks. How long and how often the sugar given to children comes into contact with the teeth is important in terms of caries formation. Teeth that come into contact with sugar more frequently and for a longer period of time are more likely to have cavities.

The acid in fruit juices causes tooth decay in children. Natural sugars, especially from fruits, are less harmful to teeth. You can make your child get the sugar they need from fruits.

Tips for sugar control in preventing dental caries in children 

You can control your child’s intake of sugary foods and drinks to prevent tooth decay. Here are some measures you can take for this:

• Give only breast milk for the first six months. This is enough for your baby.
• Especially for small children, milk and water are sufficient as liquids. Especially do not give drinks containing sugar.
• If you have to use a bottle to your child, do not give fruit juice and sugary drinks from the bottle.
• When your baby switches to solid foods, check if there is sugar other than natural sugar in the foods you give. Food labels will help you.
• Give your child sweet foods or juice only at mealtimes. Remember to dilute 1 part fruit juice to 10 parts water. Do not give more than 1 glass of juice (150ml) in one day.
• Do not give your child sugary foods such as chocolate as a reward. It can be dangerous due to both its high sugar content and long periods of stay on the teeth. Note that you may have other options as rewards.
• Give your child only breast milk, formula or cooled boiled water at bedtime or at night.
• If your child needs medication, talk to your doctor about whether there is a sugar-free option.
• It will be possible for your child to get used to sugar-free foods and drinks not only with your efforts, but also with the whole family staying away from these foods.

Fluoride varnish and fissure sealants 

Fissure sealant : Protects the chewing surfaces of teeth from bacteria and food particles in children. It helps prevent tooth decay. With the help of a special thin plastic, veneers are made especially on the back teeth of children. It is usually used at the age of 6-7 years and its effectiveness can last 5-10 years.

Fluoride varnish : Strengthens tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay. Children from the age of 3 should be advised to apply fluoride varnish at least twice a year.