See the Dentist at Age One

starting at birth, every baby needs a "medical home" for regular doctor visits to ensure they stay healthy and get their vaccinations on time. Many parents don't realize that babies need a "dental home" after their baby's first birthday,or even sooner if there is a problem. Seeing a dentist early can help you make sure your baby doesn't get early childhood tooth decay. its a whole lot easier to prevent decay that it is to treat it.

The American Academies of Pediatrics, Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association (ADA) recommend and encourage that each and every child be established  in a dental home by the age of one.

Early Childhood Tooth Decay

Do you know that tooth decay is the most common childhood disease? 40 percent of American children have cavities by age 6. Children under five may have to be heavily sedated or even have general anesthesia to get their teeth fixed. These cavities can be painful. Worst of all, if children get cavities in their baby teeth,the infection may pass to their permanent teeth.

You can help your baby avoid this disease.

Look Closely and Often at Your Baby's Teeth

 The first sign of a cavity is a white spot. These spots often start on the upper front teeth at the gun line. To check for these spots,lay your baby in your lap and lift the upper lip using your fingers. (This is also a good way to clean the baby teeth).

Brown spots may indicate a more advanced infection. If you think you see white or brown spots, you should make an appointment. If you catch the cavity early the dentist may be able to apply concentrated fluoride to the tooth, and stop the infection before it spreads. If you don't take care of your baby's first teeth, your child may wind up with a life long struggle.

The Toothbrushing Habit

Parents must clean their children's teeth, beginning with the eruption of the first tooth and continuing until your child can tie his or her shoe-laces. Of course, the child should be encouraged to brush their teeth themselves, as soon as they can hold a toothbrush, but parents should be there for the night time brushing. The night time brushing is critical as the bacteria that cause cavities have 12 hours or more to grow,undisturbed, as your child sleeps. Make sure this brushing is done as effectively as possible to stop those cavity causing bacteria from moving into your childs' mouth as permanent residents.

Teething Discomfort

Several months before they cut their first teeth, babies often begin to show an increase in drooling. Drooling is normal, and signals the beginning of a phase of development when babies instinctively bring their hands, and other objects to their mouth as part of their overall sensory experience. When the first teeth cut through, some babies experience restlessness or irritability as well as increased drooling, and a mild loss of appetite. While teething pain-relief gels will numb the gums, this is an excellent time to start wiping  the gums and cleaning the teeth. You can use a wash cloth in the  bath or when laying down for bed.  

Permanent Teeth

The first permanent molars usually emerge between ages five and six. For that reason, they often are called the six-month-molars. The six-year molars help determine the shape of the lower face. they also affect the position and health of other adult teeth. These adult teeth are sometimes mistaken for baby teeth. They must be cared for properly if they are to last throughout the child's lifetime.

Brushing

Your toothbrush is your most powerful weapon in the fight against plaque but it's also important to brush your teeth properly to ensure you are getting the benefits from brushing.

Plaque is easy to remove so use a soft brush. Don't rush, brushing your teeth will take about two minutes.

Removing plaque once a day will prevent cavities and gum disease.

1. Point the bristles toward the gums
2. Gently wiggle the toothbrush back and forth
3. Brush all sides of your teeth
   • the inside (tongue side)
   • the outside (cheek side)
   • the top where you chew
4. Brush your tongue

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4.

The Use of Fluoridated toothpaste

What is Fluoride?

Fluoride is a natural element that is found in soil, water (both fresh and salt) and in various foods. It has a positive effect on oral health by making the tooth stronger and more resistant to decay. Fluoride can also prevent or even reverse tooth decay that has already started.

Health Canada recommends that fluoridated toothpaste be used twice a day to brush teeth. A minimum amount of water should be used to rinse the mouth after brushing.

Make sure that your children use no more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on their toothbrush, and teach them not to swallow toothpaste. Children under six years of age should be supervised while brushing, and children under the age of three should have their teeth brushed by an adult without using any toothpaste.

Mouthwash

An antimicrobial mouth rinse will reduce the bacteria in your mouth. If you already have gum disease, brushing and flossing are even more important.

See a professional regularly to have your teeth and gums checked. This professional will clean your teeth to remove the tartar build-up.

Flossing

The area between your teeth is most likely where plaque will accumulate so flossing is essential. You will want to floss your teeth at least once a day - perhaps first thing in the morning, or just before going to bed.

1. Pull out 40 - 50 cm of dental floss from the container. Wrap the ends of the floss around each of your middle fingers, leaving about 2 - 3 cm of floss between your two fingers.
2. Use your thumb and index fingers to hold the floss in place.
3. Wrap the floss around the tooth into a "C" shape. Gently slide the floss up and down between your tooth and your gums. This will remove dental plaque.
4. Use a new section of floss each time you move to a new space between teeth.

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Learning to floss properly might take some time and patience. But once you've mastered it, it takes just minutes a day.

For additional information you can visit

http://www.aapdd.org

or

http://www.cariefree.com