Oral Care for Infants and Young Children

By Jacquie Roseliep, Oral Health Services Coordinator, Visiting Nurse Association

The early years are important in caring for teeth. Good dental care contributes to a child’s total health. Children with serious oral health problems have trouble eating, sleeping, paying attention to parents, and concentrating in school. Dental disease can begin early, but it is preventable. Suggestions to keep your children’s teeth healthy follow. Here’s to a lifetime of bright, healthy smiles!

DO

• Clean your child’s mouth daily. Use a damp cloth to wipe the mouth and front teeth.
• After the back molars come in, use a soft small toothbrush. Brush for your child daily until six to seven years of age when they can do it themselves with adult supervision.
• Look in your child’s mouth daily. Lift the lip to check the tissues and teeth thoroughly. Gums should be pink, and teeth uniform in color with no white spots.
• Floss your child’s teeth when two teeth touch, as the brush is no longer able to remove all the plaque bacteria.
• Use “sippee” cups for juice or milk only at meal and snack time. Offer only water between meals.
• Realize teething should not make your child sick. A temperature of 101 degrees or more is NOT due to teething, so contact your physician.
• Have your children first visit a dentist at one year of age as recommended by the American Dental Association. If your dentist is not comfortable seeing your child then, contact a local pediatric dentist.
• Remember, no matter what your child’s age, if an injury to the mouth or teeth occurs or the mouth tissues or teeth look “funny,” contact a dentist immediately.

DON’T

• Don’t use toothpaste until your child is approximately two years of age or able to spit it out. Use only a one-half, pea-sized amount of paste.
• Don’t put your baby to bed anytime with a bottle. Don’t use the bottle as a pacifier during the day. Improper bottle use can cause severe decay. Use the bottle for only formula or breast milk. Wean your baby from the bottle at one year.
• Don’t give your children soda pop, except as an occasional, special treat. Soft drinks are a leading cause of tooth decay. Offer water instead.
• Don’t neglect those first teeth. Neglect can cause severe pain and serious infection. “Baby” teeth need to be kept clean and free of cavities. Some “baby” teeth are not replaced until 10-12 years of age.