Children’s teeth and caring

Children’s teeth and caring

Milk teeth germination

When a baby starts to flow streams of saliva – this is a sign that the first teeth erupt. They appear at 6 – 8 months of age, and sometimes earlier.

There is no need to worry if baby‘s teeth do not appear for a long time. Practically all babies by the first birthday have four upper and four lower front teeth. Each child’s teeth erupt very differently, depending on the baby’s bone structure, genetics, and previous illnesses. For some, it comes out in two weeks, for others – through a couple of months.

In most cases the first come two bottom teeth, but it happens that the two upper ones appear the first. One-year-old child already has eight teeth, and two – years- old child has all the milk teeth, in other words, there forms occlusion of 20 milk teeth. Permanent teeth begin to appear at the age of six – seven. Twelve – fourteen- year-old children usually have twenty eight permanent teeth.

Teeth can grow later for those children who suffer from various diseases, are born underweight, may be affected by rickets, sometimes late germination of teeth is hereditary.
Interestingly enough, the boys’ milk teeth germinate slightly earlier than girls.

Signs of teeth germination:

* Increased salivation,
* Swollen gums,
* Fever,
* Chewing and biting fingers, hands and things,
* Irritability
* Not eating
* Sleep disorder
* Looser stools.
However, if the child has a high temperature, vomiting, diarrhea, these symptoms should not automatically connected with germinating teeth and You should consult with a pediatrician, because these ailments can be indicators of infectious diseases.

Dental pain caused by germination can be facilitated:

* Apply lubricants, having a cooling effect, on the gums (unfortunately, its short-term effect, about 20 min, and it can be used no more than 6 times per day).
* Use special, chilled chews.
* Massage the gums with your finger or special thimbles.
* Give the baby to chew dried bread or hard ring-shaped roll.
If the child has a fever, it is advisable to give him to drink raspberry or linden tea, choose a soft food.
There is no miraculous medicine for germinating tooth pain. Just need patience and love. They are the best for your baby.

Bottle caries syndrome

Bottle caries – is a corrosive damage of milk teeth, arising mainly due to the too long child’s breast feeding or bottle feeding at night.

At night, the production of saliva, which naturally cleanses the mouth, slows down, the sugar waits behind and is broken by the mouth bacteria, emit acids that destroy the enamel and gradually decay the child’s teeth.

In order to avoid bottle caries syndrome:

* Try not to feed the child during the night as earlier as possible;
* Do not give sugary tea, juice, gruel, etc. before bedtime. The best drink in this case – is simply water.
* When you try to calm the baby, do not soak the soother in honey or sugar.
* Do not lick the child‘s soother or spoon, do not chew the child’s food because decay-causing bacteria is transmitted through saliva to the child.
* Look after the teeth thoroughly from the first moment they appear.

Caring for the first teeth

Children love repetitive rituals. Knowing what is going after, they feel safer. After the first teeth appear, teeth brushing should be included into the list of child’s daily routine and rituals. Try that your children get used to clean the teeth in the morning and in the evening from a young age. It is as much important as to teach how to wash hands, face and feet. Teeth cleaning – it is caries prevention as well as child’s introduction to good hygiene.

Even if there are only two teeth in the mouth, clean them two times daily: in the morning and in the evening after meal. Give your child to play with a tooth brush, so he will massage gums, become familiar with this tool and will not be afraid of it.

What kind of toothbrush and toothpaste children can use?

Toothpaste is not required up to about one year old. It is enough to clean the teeth with gauze or a clean, soft cloth moistened with water. A specially designed facecloth or silicone thimbles can also be used to clean Your baby’s teeth.

Until about three years of age, when the child is unable to rinse the mouth and spit out well, use toothpaste without fluoride because ingested in large quantities, it can be toxic. Later start using fluoride toothpaste, because it strengthens tooth enamel, making it more resistant to acid attacks. Choose toothpaste with pleasant taste and put the child’s little finger nail sized pea of toothpaste on the toothbrush. This is enough to clean the teeth.

Toothbrush should be soft, with small head, suitable for baby’s age. Let the baby to choose a toothbrush, so that brushing teeth will become even pleasurable.

What to do if the child does not want to brush his teeth?

Train the child to clean teeth gradually and cheerfully:

* First time, gently lead over the child‘s teeth with a toothbrush so he could get used to a new feeling in the mouth, and know that it is quite painless. It does not matter, if at the beginning you do not manage to clean the teeth thoroughly.
* Brush your teeth together. Children like to follow the example of the elders. Let him watch how you do that, little brother or sister.
* Create a playful way of brushing, for example, offer a child to clean the teeth for you, and while you clean the child‘s teeth, create invented stories or sing a song. Only do not scare the child with bugaboos, dental pain or dentist, because the result may be just the opposite.
* Clean the teeth in front of the mirror. Some children like to see what is being done in their mouths with a toothbrush and how clean the teeth become after brushing.
* You can buy a sand clock. It’s a fun teeth cleaning assistant, helping to clean the teeth longer and better.
* Let your child to choose a toothbrush and toothpaste. Nowadays there are so many colorful, different shapes of toothbrushes, with funny pictures. Choose toothpaste with pleasant taste.
* Prepare for teeth cleaning in advance: play with a beloved child’s toy and clean it‘s teeth, read story about teeth and caring for them, draw and color teeth, think of a funny teeth cleaning schedule and earn points.
* Be sure to commend your child after teeth brushing.