Topics of Interest
Infant Oral Health Care Information

Diet and Nutrition

1. Bottle - Breast Feeding How Do I Prevent Early Childhood Caries (Tooth Decay)?

Any food substance left on children's teeth for an extended time can cause tooth decay.
Don't give a bottle filled with sugary liquids or milk to calm down your child. Plain water or a pacifier should be used.
Don't dip a pacifier in honey, or any "sugary" liquid.
At night, don't put your baby to bed with a bottle filled with sugary liquids. Put water in the bottle.
Please do not allow at-will feeding at night whether bottle or nursing, this encourages ECC, early childhood caries (decay).
Try to discontinue bottle feeding, especially at night, by age one, and encourage drinking from a cup. Teach your child to drink from a cup by his or her first birthday. Moving to a "sippy cup" lessens the time teeth are exposed to sugar. Still, continuous sipping from the cup can result in decay if it is not filled with water.
Use a moist washcloth or gauze to wipe off your baby's teeth and gum pads after feeding. This will remove any plaque and excess food that build up in these areas.

Child who has fallen asleep while sucking on a bottle:

Severe decay on palatal surface of upper primary incisors of 18 month old child:

2. Diet

Oral Habits

Thumbs, fingers, and pacifiers can definitely cause or intensify orthodontic problems.
- However, it is normal for infants and children to have a strong sucking desire.
- Some disfigurement of the primary teeth will self-correct.
- Most children stop oral habits on their own.
- Oral habits should be stopped before the permanent teeth erupt (approx. 6 yrs. old).
- Grinding of teeth is normal and should not be an area of concern unless there is significant wear of the teeth.

Teething

- Symptoms include - sensitive and uncomfortable gum areas, drooling, irritability, possible low grade fever and diarrhea.
- Treatment can include - massaging sore gums with a finger or teething rings, placing ice or frozen rings on gum areas. The best remedy is your child's pediatric dose of Tylenol or fever reducing medication for pain.
Orajel type products may work for a short period of time, but are not recommended.

Dental Development

There will be a total of 20 primary teeth.
Usually the lower incisors are the first to erupt around 6 months of age, and all primary teeth are not erupted until about 2-3 yrs. of age.
Eruption problems include - eruption hematomas (bruising) over the erupting teeth.
Spacing, crowding, and rotations of teeth, extra teeth or missing teeth can usually be attributed to heredity. Eruption patterns and sequences vary from child to child.

A healthy full primary dentition:

More information on Eruption of Primary Teeth.

Brushing

Plaque is the enemy.
Brush 2 times per day (after breakfast and especially before bed.)
Brush in a circular pattern, cleaning one area at a time.
Toothpaste is not necessary. A wet brush will work fine to remove plaque and food.
A washcloth or gauze will work well for the early primary dentition.
Flossing is recommended for teeth that have tight contacts and trap food.
Stains can occur from foods, vitamins, iron drops, and other medicines. We can easily clean these off if they occur.
Toothpaste has quite a bit of fluoride in it. If the child is allowed to swallow it, this can cause white or brown spots to occur on the developing permanent teeth. Use toothpaste sparingly with young children.

Brushing 24 month old toddler by dentist with toothbrush in a circular motion:

Fluoride

Too much fluoride can cause a discoloration of the permanent teeth called fluorosis.
Sources of fluoride include - fluoridated water, bottled juices (from concentrate), prescription vitamins, and toothpaste.
Know the fluoride level in your water.
If your water is not fluoridated, we can provide you with a prescription for fluoride drops.
Do not allow your child to eat or swallow toothpaste as fluorosis can easily occur.

Traumatic Injuries: We hope you never have to experience a dental injury but...

30% of children have dental injuries before the age of 5, with boys being twice as likely to experience an injury than girls.
If injuries occur, severe enough to cause bleeding or fractured teeth, the child should receive an evaluation.
Change of color of teeth or red swollen gums are not normal and can indicate a dental infection although the child is in no apparent discomfort.
Primary teeth react differently to injuries than permanent teeth. Often only an x-ray can detect pathological changes in the traumatized primary teeth.
We are always available to see emergencies. Please do not hesitate to call or page us.

Future dental visits

At future check-ups we provide a comprehensive oral exam, clean and fluoride the teeth, as well as take appropriate x-rays if necessary.

Behavior of toddlers and children varies widely. Your child will go through different stages of development at his/her own rate. We find most children will grow into great dental patients with a fun dental atmosphere.

We are proud to provide the quality of care we do for our patients, and thank you for the opportunity to care or your children. If there are any questions you may have about children's dentistry or orthodontics, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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