As soon as young people are announced, all sorts of questions arise and also measures that must be taken. From the right equipment to the right nutrition to the appropriate clothing. Careful preparation is also essential with regard to the teeth. After all, you don’t want to leave anything to chance. But what is there to know about dental care in children?
When will the first teeth arrive?
Even if the milk teeth were already created in the jaw before the birth of Mother Nature, they are often in no hurry to take the arduous path through the gums. However, the teeth cannot escape this natural process forever, so they usually gradually emerge in batches from the 6th month of life at the latest. In this context, the lower incisors are usually the “pioneers” in this strenuous process. Only then do the upper counterparts usually follow, before the remaining teeth slowly but surely venture out of their safe hiding place. In most cases, by the age of 2.5 years at the latest, all teeth have completely fought their way through the gums.
When do I start dental care for a baby or child?
Basically, dental care can and should begin as soon as the first tooth has penetrated. In this context, it is often comparatively easy to encourage your child to take care of their teeth. After all, it is particularly proud of its first tooth, which you can use as a motivational aid for dental care. The sooner your child gets used to the fact that this tooth needs to be cleaned regularly, the easier it is to develop a routine even at a later time with several teeth, which generally makes dental care much easier.
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First of all, cotton swabs and water should be the means of choice. A toothbrush should not be used until about the beginning of the second year of life. When choosing toothpaste, you should also pay attention to certain criteria. For example, many physicians recommend choosing variants without flavoring and oversweetening components. In addition, the fluoroid content should not exceed 0.025 % if possible. This only changes from about the age of 6. Now your child even needs a higher fluoride content than you do.
This is due to the fact that the enamel of the now breaking through, permanent teeth should be supported by this measure due to mostly insufficient expression. The first own toothbrush is recommended for about 1.5-2 years. At this point, you can take advantage of the pronounced imitation instinct. So if you establish brushing your teeth with your child as a kind of ritual, it makes care much easier. Keep in mind, however, that if you want to brush your child’s teeth, you often have to be supportive, as the not yet quite pronounced fine motor skills often still stand in the way of their own ambitions for dental care.
What can I do if my baby or child resists dental care?
Basically, your child will not be really enthusiastic at first if you “huff” him with cotton swabs and the like in his mouth. The little one may even find this so unpleasant that he or she actively defends himself or herself against it. The key here, as so often, lies in the child’s instinct to play. Keep in mind that your child cannot yet estimate the consequences of the lack of dental care, which is why it usually proves to be not very effective to persuade the junior to brush his teeth with reason. In this context, it is much more efficient to carry out dental care in a playful way. Even simple rhymes during brushing can give the child a lot of fun with dental care.
“Brushing your teeth, brushing your teeth – that’s what every child has to do. Brushing your teeth, brushing your teeth – until they are clean.”
You’d also be amazed at how fun kids find it when you give their teeth names of animals. For example, while brushing the incisors, you can tell your child that the “mouse teeth” are now being cleaned. Then it is the turn of the “lion teeth” or “bear teeth”.
But be careful – your child might find these terms so funny that adequate cleaning is made much more difficult because of all the laughter. A restriction with which you and your child can certainly live well, because it means that the offspring has great fun cleaning.
Conclusion: Dental care already at the first teeth
The care of the teeth is an important part of body care in general, especially during the first period. First and foremost, it is important for you to get your child used to the fact that the teeth need regular care as early as possible, so that a routine soon sets in in this context.
This, in turn, will be best achieved if you target your child’s instinct to play and imitate. If the junior enjoys cleaning, you will no longer have to constantly encourage him (or she) to do so. Instead, the little one will start with the “brushing song” all by himself. Simply because he enjoys it.
