Oral Health For your Infant and preschoolers

It is important to look after your child’s teeth right from the time their baby teeth come through as they are needed for proper chewing, speech development, strong face and jaw growth and most importantly they save space for the adult teeth which helps p

Nutritional Tips for Healthy teeth for your infant and preschooler

Dairy foods

Encourage dairy foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese every day as they are a good source of calcium which is a mineral that aids healthy bones and teeth. Dairy foods also contain a protein called casein which helps strengthen tooth enamel and phosphates which reduces acidity in the mouth.

Limit sugary drinks

Limit consumption of soft drinks, sport drinks and fruit drinks. Drinking large amounts of soft drinks and juice can cause rampant dental decay. Fizzy drinks are loaded with sugar and acids and these ingredients break down and damage the enamel which lead to tooth decay.

Choose Healthy Snacks

Choose foods or snacks which do not stick to the teeth. Foods such as dried fruits and muesli bars are not only high in sugar but will stick to teeth and slowly release sugars throughout the day. The longer the sugars stay on teeth, the greater the risk of tooth decay. Fruits and vegetables provide a variety of health benefits, including dental benefits. Although some of them contain natural sugars, they also contain water to help dilute sugars in the mouth. At the same time, chewing on crunchy fruits and vegetables can remove plaque from teeth and encourage production of saliva.

Tips for parents to help prevent dental decay in infants & preschoolers

Avoid putting baby to bed with the bottle as the liquid pools around the teeth and causes rapid cavities in the front teeth. This happens because the teeth are essentially soaking in a bath of sugar for many hours causing rapid breakdown of enamel. There is sugar present in milk, formular and juice. If your baby does fall asleep with a bottle in the mouth you can Gently wipe your infant’s gums with a clean, damp cloth When the first tooth comes in, use a soft children’s toothbrush and a light smear of fluoridated toothpaste to gently brush. An adult should assist in brushing the child’s teeth until they are nine years of age, at this age they are responsible enough and have the manual dexterity to brush their own teeth thoroughly, although they may still need help with flossing. Around age 2, children should learn to spit while brushing. encourage children to spit the toothpaste out and not to rinse the mouth, this leaves residual fluoride on the teeth surfaces which can help remineralise ename

Information on thumb sucking and use of pacifires

It is normal for a child to suck their thumb, this behaviour is relaxing and comforting and same with the use of pacifiers, it can be calming and soothing. Children often stop this behaviour on their own between the ages of two and four. However prolonged thumb sucking and or use of a pacifier may interfere with the development of healthy teeth and cause the following problems:

• Misaligned bite

• Palate issues – changes in shape of roof of mouth

• Speech problems

• Overbite or overjet - refer to images below

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