Are You Taking Care of Your Child´s Milk Teeth??

Today we are going to discuss about dental hygiene care in children.

You all must be wondering, why oral hygiene care in children since anyhow teeth are going to fall out of the mouth one day? Right??

My dear friends, milk teeth have many important role to play for the adult teeth that are going to come.

They are needed for:

1. Eating - Decayed or lost milk teeth can interfere with eating and can lead to nutritional deficiency

2. Speech development

3. Smiling - Healthy set of teeth improves smile of your child and self confidence.

4. As placeholders for adult teeth - if milk tooth fall early, by not holding a proper place for permanent teeth, they can make the permanent ones come in crooked.

So how to take care of oral hygiene in children?

PART 1 - ORAL HYGIENE CARE IN BABIES

Did you know that oral hygiene starts even before teeth appear? Did you know that baby teeth develop even before babies are born?

Baby teeth begin to develop at about 6 weeks after conception. By the time a baby is born all 20 baby teeth are present in the jawbone but still hidden under the gums. 

Why there is need to clean baby gums?

Cleaning your baby's gums helps remove food and milk deposits and reduces the build-up of bacteria, including those that cause decay of tooth. This helps create a healthier environment for new baby teeth. Keeping gums clean can also help avoid gum inflammation and teething pain. Introducing a daily oral care routine early, starting with gum care, will help get your baby used to the idea having its ‘teeth’ cleaned from a very early age, making life easier later on!

How do I clean my baby's gums? 

Here are the steps:

1. Keep soft, clean cloth or piece of gauze piece and glass of drinking water ready.

2. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap.

3. Wrap cloth or piece of gauze around your index finger and damp it with water.

4. Gently put your finger inside baby's mouth. Wipe the upper and lower gum pad once.

Please watch the below video to see a step by step process on how to clean your baby's gums (Video Courtesy - How to clean a baby's gums by Howcast on YouTube)