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Caring for Toddler Teeth - Part II

Posted by Tiziana on September 15, 2010

Sharing a Little Dental IQ – Words of Wisdom from an Expert .

PART II

This is the follow to my previous entry sharing some thoughts and best practices from a dental professional who worked extensively with two and three year old children..   

• BRUSHING--after every meal as soon as the first tooth pops out. Xylitol gel works best for brushing until 4 when they are old enough to reliably spit. Do not use Fluoridated toothpaste until that time. Too much Fluoride can cause streaking of permanent teeth before they erupt. Most toothpaste contains a relatively high level of fluoride and should only be topically applied and then spit out. After a cleaning and after acidic foods and drinks (tomato sauce, OJ, red wine) the teeth are very susceptible and porous. You should wait 30 minutes before brushing to let the pH of the child’s mouth come back to neutral. Alternately, rinsing with water or eating bread will help.

• FLOSSING--any teeth that touch should be flossed. This is the toughest habit for most people. If it's tough for you, do 2-3 teeth a night rather than the whole mouth every 2-3 days. If you don't feel like it one night, give a piece of floss to play with and move on. The habit is what you are trying to form early. Get in the habit while your little ones have "practice teeth".

• CHECK UPS--Get teeth checked between 18 mos-2 years. This will get your kiddo adjusted to the dental office and allow the dentist to see any problems early in the formation of the enamel. After the initial visit, you won't need to start professional cleanings until 3 or so and go every 6 months. Typically, most practices will do a cleaning, exam with the dentist and end with fluoride foam application (probably not on the first visit, though). That helps the teeth soak up good vitamins into the teeth when they are the most vulnerable after cleaning. Foam ensures that it isn't swallowed (not like when we were kids and we had to rinse). X-rays are usually done once a year to check for decay between the teeth. Look for offices that do digital graphs. They use 1/10th of the radiation that regular x-rays do. They are no more expensive. Sealants are great. Get them whenever you can. A good office will guarantee them and check them every 6 months to replace any cracked or missing ones.

• DECAY--teeth are the most vulnerable in the first year that they erupt. Be diligent. Most of us are inclined to believe that "soon" we'll have to start taking care of tiny teeth. It's the opposite. Soon, you won't have to be so diligent. Once they're all in you can relax. ;)

Just want to give you the best info that I have to offer. Take what you like and leave the rest.

Much love and happy brushing,

 

(The author requested to remain anonymous)