My baby’s teeth

• Facilitate the eruption of milk teeth. During tooth eruption, it is advisable to use a teething ring and put it in the refrigerator but not in the freezer: in fact, cold is an excellent pain reliever. You can also massage baby’s gums with a clean finger and a specific balm to relieve it.

On the other hand, you should not rub the gums with hard bread or sugar, you would increase the risk of cavities. In case of fever linked to teething, give fever medication in a dose appropriate to the weight and age of the child.

• Caries before 3 years: is it possible? It’s entirely possible. Early decay first affects the incisors before spreading to all the teeth. They can affect children aged 6 months and have significant repercussions on permanent teeth and the development of the oral sphere and learning.

• Caries are caused by a sugary diet. They are caused by long, repeated exposure to sugary liquids (for example, bottle sucking during the day and/or night). If your child needs a bottle to fall asleep, choose water. But if he has to drink something other than water before bed, brush his teeth right after to prevent teeth from remaining in contact with sugar all night.

• Good oral hygiene is essential to avoid cavities. Brush your teeth twice a day as soon as the first baby teeth appear with a suitable toothbrush. Spit out excess toothpaste without rinsing. Brushing carried out by an adult up to 5 years old and supervised by an adult up to 7-8 years old.

• We must also be vigilant regarding parent/child contamination. Indeed, caries is a contagious and bacterial disease. If the bacteria do not exist in the child’s mouth at birth, they are often transmitted by parents. To limit the risk of transmission of bacteria and the appearance of cavities, be sure to avoid:

• Use your child’s spoon to check if the dish is not too hot;

• To use the same cutlery as your child;

• Put the pacifier in your mouth to clean it;

• Kiss your child on the mouth.

• Your child sucks his thumb, or a pacifier: what are the risks? In both cases, the consequences are significant on the child’s development. In addition to dental malpositions, there are risks of deformation of the palate and defects in the growth of the jaws, with repercussions on breathing, swallowing and phonation (speech). It is not always up to parents to decide, but the pacifier with the appropriate anatomical shape is less serious than the thumb. In all cases, these habits must be stopped as soon as possible and before the appearance of permanent teeth.

(source: ufsbd)