Baby Teeth Formation
Your infant’s healthy start should include proper dental care. Just because you can’t see those little teeth yet doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Teeth start forming during the second trimester, so at birth, your baby could have 20 primary teeth.8
Prevention of Tooth Decay
Prolonged contact with almost any liquid other than water can cause something called baby bottle tooth decay (BBTD). Putting your baby to bed with a bottle of formula, milk, juice, soda or sugar water is one cause; giving him sweet drinks several times a day is another. Liquid from the bottle builds up in the mouth, the natural or added sugars change to acid and the acid starts dissolving the teeth, causing them to decay. BBTD can severely damage baby teeth and can also affect permanent teeth. To help prevent it, consider these tips:
- Never let your child fall asleep with a bottle of milk, formula, fruit juice or sweetened liquid. If he needs to be comforted between feedings, give him a clean pacifier recommended by your doctor or dentist. Never give him a pacifier dipped in sweet liquid.
- Teach your child to drink from a cup as early as possible. Usually by one year of age, children can drink from a cup, which keeps liquid from collecting around the teeth. And, cups can’t be taken to bed.
- Keep your baby’s mouth clean. Gently wipe his/her gums with a clean gauze pad after feedings.
- Brush baby teeth with water and a soft child-sized toothbrush. Start brushing as soon as the first tooth erupts, and flossing when all the baby teeth are in.
- By the time your toddler is two years of age, you should brush his/her teeth once or twice a day. Try to brush after breakfast and before bedtime. Once you’re sure she can spit the toothpaste out instead of swallowing it, use pea-sized amounts of fluoride toothpaste.
- Give his/her enough fluoride. If your local water supply doesn’t contain fluoride, ask your dentist how your child should get it.
- Take your child to the dentist by age one. Start earlier if you think she has dental problems, then visit regularly.9
Cavity Prevention
Your child’s teeth are susceptible to cavities as soon as they appear.10 Cavities are caused when plaque, a sticky film containing bacteria, builds up on teeth during the day and is fed by the sugar and carbohydrates your child eats. The plaque becomes acidic and can dissolve tooth enamel, resulting in a cavity.
Poor oral hygiene and lots of sugary snacks and drinks top the list of cavity-causing culprits. Here are some suggestions to help reduce your child’s risk:
- Be careful about what goes in your child’s mouth. To lessen exposure to harmful bacteria, keep your baby’s pacifier clean and try not to contaminate their food or drinks. You might be surprised to learn, for example, that tasting your baby’s food to see if it’s too hot and then using the same spoon to feed him/her can pass cavity-causing bacteria to them.
- Clean your child’s gums with gauze. Don’t wait for the first tooth to emerge to start daily oral care.
- Brush and floss your child’s teeth. As soon as their first teeth come in, start brushing; when they all come in, start flossing.
- Limit sweets. Candy, soda and other sugary foods are okay as an occasional treat, but don’t let them be a big part of your child’s diet.
- Get regular dental check-ups. Your child should visit the dentist within six months of his/her first tooth appearing. See a pediatric dentist regularly for cleanings and examinations.11
8 “Fluoride and Water” www.kidshealth.org
9 “Early Childhood Tooth Decay (Baby Bottle Tooth Decay)” www.ada.org
10 “Baby Teeth: The Basics” www.drspock.com
11 “Cavities: An Overview” www.drspock.com
