You can take care of your child’s dental health only if you realize that it needs the same care as an adult’s dental health needs. A child needs dental care even before she develops her first tooth! Yeah, that’s right. If you are in the habit of letting your baby sleep with a bottle of milk, you are damaging her future dental health. Yeah, if your baby sleeps with a bottle in her mouth, she is likely to decay her teeth later. The immediate symptom is pain but its long-term consequences include improper development of permanent teeth. Do not keep the baby exposed to sweet liquids for a long time.

And yeah, as a nursing mother, you should also take care of your own dental health; if you have cavities, the bacteria responsible for it can infect your baby too.

If your baby sucks her thumb, you have to dissuade her from doing it. Thumb-sucking is typically observed in babies up to the age of two. After that, the habit can interfere with the development of her permanent teeth. But remember, in order to stop her from thumb-sucking or pacifier-chewing, you need to provide her with more emotional support instead of scolding her.

More often than not, parents don’t take their child to the dentist until she develops a tooth problem. Well, you should take your child to the dentist when her first tooth appears. Thereafter, in consultation with your dentist, you may take her for check-ups every six months.

If your baby has fever when she is teething, you should let the doctor know. Don’t treat illness during teething normal. And yeah, take your child to the dentist if she feels pain in teeth or gums.

Happy smiling!

Tags: Children, children's dentistry, dental care for children, dental care in children