Just like any other person, infants ought to observe dental hygiene. You should start ensuring your infant’s dental hygiene at around six months of age. The reason for this is that at this time, the child’s first tooth has started erupting. Many parents rarely brush their children’s teeth. Dentists advise against this. This article will highlight some key areas about infant’s dental hygiene.
An important issue is taking your infant to be checked by a dentist. You can take your child to visit a dentist at about 6 months to 12 months. The importance of this is that the dentist will advise you on:
? Proper feeding practices
? Methods of cleaning the infant’s mouth
? Details on teething, including finger-sucking habits
The listed concerns will help you understand better the teething stage of your infant. You will help your infant pass the stage with ease. You will also better know how to handle the pain that may come as a result of the teething process.
Before making an official visit to the dentist, ensure you prepare yourself and your child. Give your child a rough idea of what to expect. If the child is in preschool, you can show him or her pictures of dentists for familiarity. This will help make the visit productive and fast. Prior exposure will make the child willing to be given a checkup by the dentist.
As a parent, you can prepare yourself by having prior consultation with the dentist. This will give an overview of what you are to expect. Be confident and positive. Be careful not to give your child any sense of fear or anxiety towards the dental visit. Remain calm. This will give your child some sense of assurance during the checkup. Do not let emotions take the better part of you.
That’s all for taking your child for a dental visit. There is more to infant oral hygiene apart from only the dental visit. Another key aspect is observing oral hygiene at home. As they say, charity begins at home. Relating this to oral hygiene, the child will learn the basic steps of dental hygiene at home. Ensure that all the family members observe dental hygiene. Children/infants tend to copy what the adults are doing. If everyone brushes in the morning, they will also want to brush in the morning.
Also, check on the type of food you are giving the children. Sugary foods may lead to dental problems such as tooth decay. Give your child foods that strengthen their teeth. Try to limit giving the infant a bottle of juice or milk during bedtime. This will come in handy in helping prevent baby bottle tooth decay.
Conclusively, you can observe the above steps in ensuring child or infant dental hygiene. If you plan on starting to brush your infant, use special infant toothpaste. Also, there are small toothbrushes meant for infants. Observe your infant’s dental hygiene for that perfect smile that you want him or her to have.