"Is caring for baby teeth necessary? After all, the baby tooth will be removed, then replaced with permanent teeth later, right? "Some parents still have this mindset. But this is one of the causes of a child having a messy tooth.
Why is it important to treat baby teeth?
Baby tooth needs to be taken care of because breast teeth will help a child chew, talk, smile, and laugh, as long as the child is about six years old. More than that, the baby tooth has a more important role, which is to prepare a place for permanent teeth to grow.
In fact, the jaw of a child is still not enough to immediately become a place to grow 32 permanent teeth. So, this is the role of a baby tooth, which is to create enough space for permanent teeth to grow. In addition, the baby tooth is actually a reference for permanent teething, because when the teeth remain ready to grow, these permanent teeth will replace the baby tooth in the position of the original baby tooth. That way, permanent teeth will be arranged neatly and regularly.
Caring for baby teeth or baby tooth is one way to maintain baby tooth on time when teeth are still ready to grow.
How do you treat baby teeth to stay healthy and tidy?
1. How to brush your teeth
Brushing your baby's teeth should be done as soon as your baby's first teeth grow. By treating baby's teeth earlier, you will be more accustomed to the baby to clean his teeth. The baby's first teeth will generally begin to grow when the baby is six to 18 months old. The baby's teeth will grow to a total of 20 pieces of baby tooth, which takes approximately until your baby is 2.5 years old.
Brushing your baby's teeth should be done at least twice a day, once in the morning and one more time after your baby feeds at night, before going to bed. A new baby's teeth should also be brushed gently in a circular motion so that all parts of the baby's teeth can be reached by a toothbrush.
2. Choosing toothpaste
Using toothpaste that has no taste or aroma will help the baby not to think that toothpaste is food because swallowing toothpaste in volumes that are much feared can cause your baby to experience diarrhea.
Choosing toothpaste containing fluoride will be able to protect the baby's teeth to avoid tooth decay. But it's best, to treat the teeth of a baby who has just grown, you choose a toothpaste with low fluoride content, at least 25 mg. This content is usually indicated on the information located on the packaging. Giving toothpaste as much as three-quarters of the toothbrush section is also enough to brush the baby's teeth.
3. Choose skat teeth
Some parents tend to use fingers wrapped in cloth, then given toothpaste on top to brush their newly grown baby teeth. But if you want to use a toothbrush, you should choose a toothbrush with a soft brush material and the size of a small brush head.
In addition, don't forget to replace the brush regularly. Especially if the toothbrush starts to spread. Information on the target age of toothbrush packaging will also help you to find out for what age the toothbrush is designed.
4. Examination of the dentist
Some literature suggests that you check your baby's teeth after your baby's first tooth appears, or at the latest when your baby is one year old. The risk of your baby experiencing tooth decay will be even greater if the baby's family or parents have a history of certain dental diseases. You should also discuss with the baby's dentist if it turns out that your family has this history, so early prevention can be done.
5. Prevent tooth decay early
Tooth decay occurs because of the presence of sugar in your teeth. Sugar in teeth has the ability to destroy minerals found on the surface of the teeth. Baby teeth are actually able to handle this condition but to overcome the presence of sugar in the teeth it takes several hours. So, you should avoid giving drinks or sweet foods to your baby in the adjacent period.
