A Guide to Healthy Baby Teeth: Understanding Baby Tooth Care and Development

Taking care of your teeth is as important as your baby’s teeth. Failure to take care of your kid’s teeth can affect the health of their permanent teeth when they sprout. So, besides taking your child to the pediatric dentist in Redding, CA, there are tips that can help in taking better care of your child’s teeth.

The Importance of Proper Oral Hygiene for Babies – Tips for Brushing and Flossing

You might be wondering why you should take care of your baby’s teeth, but there are benefits to your child having healthy teeth. Here are some of them:

• Healthy teeth help form your kid’s face uniformly.
• Makes it easier for your kid to speak clearly.
• Makes eating and chewing food easier.
• Healthy teeth are well-spaced, meaning enough space for permanent teeth to sprout.

Now that you know the importance of healthy baby teeth, teaching your kid how to brush and floss their teeth properly is crucial.

Proper Tooth Brushing Technique

First, teach your child to hold their toothbrush, which should be against the gum line at a 45-degree angle. Next, tell your child to move the toothbrush gently back and forth with little pressure. The brushing should start at the gum line and down to the teeth’s surface. Ensure that your child brushes each tooth, and the brushing session should be around two minutes. After brushing their teeth, they should brush their tongue, too, and this is done with a back and front motion.

Tips for Brushing and Flossing

Show Your Child How It’s Done

There’s no better way for your kid to learn how to brush and floss their teeth than by demonstrating. Ensure that you’re using a good brushing technique, and your kids will follow what you’re doing. In addition, explain why each motion is important, as this will leave no room for ignorance in your kids.

Make Flossing and Brushing Fun

It can be quite challenging for your kids to keep up with the demands of maintaining proper oral hygiene. So, you can incorporate games like using a flashlight to check for plaque bugs, and this will motivate your kids to brush all of their teeth to eliminate the plaque bugs.

Let Your Kids Choose Their Favorite Toothbrush and Toothpaste

If you want your kids to enjoy brushing their teeth, let them choose their favorite cartoon character toothbrush and toothpaste flavor they love. When you let your child choose their favorite toothbrush, they have no reason not to use it.

Foods That Help Promote Growth of Healthy Teeth

Besides teaching your child the right brushing technique, it is crucial that you teach them the best foods for their teeth. These foods promote better jaw growth and proper arch development, hydrate, and remineralize their teeth. Here are some of these foods:

Meat, Eggs, And Fish

Protein is essential in the growth and development of tissues in the body. So, you should add fish, eggs, and lean meat to your kid’s diet. If your child does not love animal-based protein, tofu, beans, and nuts can be a great source of `protein too. Moreover, these foods make your child chew and bite with more force, and this helps your child develop stronger jaws.

Raw Crunchy Veggies

The pediatric dentist in Redding recommends crunchy veggies as a great way to exercise jaws. So, you can include raw crunchy vegetables in your child’s diet, as chewing these foods will also widen the dental arch and reduce the risk of biting problems.

Other foods to incorporate are phosphorus-rich foods like milk and poultry and calcium-rich foods like yogurt, cheese, and water, as teeth need to be hydrated.

When To Visit the Dentist – Signs Your Baby May Need A Dental Check-Up

Although you need to take your kid to the pediatric dentist near you once their first tooth comes out, some signs imply your child needs a dental checkup as soon as possible.

Is Your Child in Pain?

A toothache can cause discomfort to your child. You will notice that your child will continually complain about tooth pain, which is not a good sign.

Sensitive Teeth

This symptom may be continuous or can arise after some time. You might notice that your child complains about feeling uncomfortable eating or drinking. This can be a sign of a cavity. When this happens, it would be best to take your child to Shasta Kids Dentistry, and our pediatric dentist will take a look at your child’s teeth.

Bleeding Gums

Different from the other symptoms mentioned above, bleeding gums can be seen. Check your child’s gum to see if they’re swollen or bleeding, as this can indicate an infection.