Healthy Baby Teeth Tips – tips from Delta Dental of Michigan to keep baby teeth healthy – all the way until those baby teeth are ready to come out.
Delta Dental asks parents to think twice before filling a child’s bottle with pop or juice. “Sugar plays a huge role in tooth decay. Sugar-filled liquids like pop and juice lead to an acid attack on the teeth for about 20 minutes after swallowing,” said Dr. Jed Jacobson, chief science officer and senior vice president at Delta Dental of Michigan. “I would recommend that parents stay away from giving sugary drinks to their young children. Water is a great substitute and is not harmful to teeth.”
Healthy Baby Teeth Tips
- Don’t put a child to bed with a bottle to avoid establishing a sleep routine that involves drinking or sucking. Other ideas to transition a child into sleep include a bath before bed, massages, playing soothing music or the use of a mobile.
- Fill a bottle with water instead of juice or pop if it’s already part of a bedtime routine or if a baby needs a bottle between meals. Water is safer for teeth than sugary liquids and fluoridated water provides added benefits for keeping teeth healthy.
- Encourage children to drink from a cup at an early age to help prevent liquid from collecting around the teeth.
- Gently clean a baby’s mouth with a soft cloth on the gums and begin brushing with a soft infant toothbrush when the first tooth appears.
- Begin using floss when a child has two or more baby teeth adjacent to one another.
- Visit the dentist for the first time around a child’s first birthday with regular appointments thereafter.
OAKLAND COUNTY MOMS FAMILY HEALTH ARTICLES
About Delta Dental
Delta Dental of Michigan, with its affiliates in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New Mexico, Ohio and Tennessee, is one of the largest dental plan administrators in the nation. In 2008, the enterprise paid out nearly $2.5 billion for dental care for more than 8 million enrollees.
For more tips on on how to help your child develop healthy baby teeth, visit our friends at Delta Dental.
