October is National Dental Hygiene Month, and it’s important that you start proper hygiene at an early age for your children.
Healthy Me PA wanted to hear more about children’s dental health from a professional. We sat down with Janice Schan, registered dental hygienist with a Master of Education, in February for more information.
The number one takeaway she gave us? It’s never too early to start practicing good oral health.
Janice gave us tips for what to do to promote oral health—starting from infancy.
- Tooth Care Before Baby Has Any!
Even before a baby has teeth or is teething, the hygienist says, you should run a damp washcloth over the gums to prevent the buildup of bacteria.
- Tooth Care Once Baby Has Teeth
Once an infant’s teeth come to the surface, Janice says, you should brush them with a baby toothbrush. As soon as the baby has two teeth that touch, you should begin to floss between them. When the baby teeth appear, they are very important to take care of.
“Some people think, because they are going to fall out, that they don’t need to take care of them, but that’s not true,” Janice says. “They are essential for chewing, learning how to speak, and important for the alignment and spacing of the permanent teeth that are forming underneath the baby teeth.”
Janice says the most important part of children’s oral health is getting them accustomed to having a toothbrush and floss in the mouth at an early age. That way, they understand that it is a positive thing to take care of the teeth.
“If the parent is visibly nervous about taking care of the baby’s teeth, the baby is going to pick up on those nerves and be nervous about it as well,” the hygienist says.
“The best thing you can do is get them into a habit—to get them to understand taking care of your teeth is a good thing to do.”
The same thing goes with dentist visits.
- Making the First Visit to the Dentist a Happy One for Your Toddler
The American Dental Association recommends that a child go to the dentist within six months after the first tooth appears and no later than his or her first birthday.
Janice adds that the parent can judge if their child is ready. “We want the child to have a good first visit so that, the next time they come, they see it as a positive thing,” Janice said. “We don’t want to instill a negative memory for the child.”
- Brushing at Age Two
By age two, children should learn to spit while brushing.
They can use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. Parents should always supervise children under six to make sure that their teeth are clean and that they don’t swallow the toothpaste.
Healthy Oral Habits to Promote a Lifetime of Good Overall Health
So what is all this talk about “good oral health?” Why does it matter?
Janice broke it down for us.
“The mouth is teeming with bacteria; most of it is harmless. But when you don’t take care of your oral health, it increases those bacterial levels, which can lead to infection, decay, and gum disease. Poor oral health can contribute to cardiovascular disease, preterm birth, and low-birth-weight babies,” she says. Certain conditions may also affect your oral health, like diabetes.
In a nutshell, the quality of your oral health is an important part of the quality of your overall health.
Janice says that saliva acts as a natural cleanser in the mouth. Saliva can neutralize the acid in the mouth that is caused by sugar, which, in turn, causes decay.
Some tips to help reduce sugar in the diet are:
- Offering healthier, non-sugary foods at snack time
- Offering sugar-free gum, which promotes saliva production to wash away sugar
- If you must eat sugar, do so with meals
If a child grazes all day eating sugary food, the sugar sits on teeth and the child has more of a chance of getting decay.
It comes down to caregivers promoting good dental habits, which in turn help keep children healthy all around.
“If the parent sets a good example of taking care of their teeth, then the child is going to adopt those habits, too,” Janice says.