Guiding Your Child’s First Steps to Good Dental Health

Start your child on the path to a healthy mouth.

Start your child on the path to a healthy mouth.

Raising a child is a series of firsts – first step, first word, first tooth. As a parent, it’s important to start your child on a good dental routine at a young age. Here are 8 tips to help you get started:

    1. Avoid baby-bottle tooth decay by filling your child’s bottle with milk or water instead of sugary juices.
    2. Don’t put your baby to bed with a bottle because the milk, formula or other sweetened drinks will pool on the teeth and gums, resulting in tooth decay.
    3. Take time to wipe your baby’s gums with a moistened gauze or soft cloth. After a tooth erupts, use a pea-size amount of toothpaste on a soft toothbrush and gently clean your child’s teeth.
    4. Take your child to the dentist before his first birthday or when his first tooth erupts.
    5. Feed your child a balanced diet with fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Crunchy fruit and vegetables help clean your child’s teeth. Choose fresh over processed foods whenever possible.
    6. Pick proteins over sugary carbohydrates. The best snacks for your child are cheeses, lean meats, and nuts. Sugar-laden cookies and crackers can add to the acids and bacteria in your child’s mouth, leading to cavities.
    7. Keep your child away from sticky snacks like taffy, caramels and fruit roll-ups, which attach to teeth. Bacteria flourish on teeth coated with sticky candy.
    8. Help your child brush his teeth twice a day and floss daily.

 

Tags: , , , ,

Connect With Us

Join the conversation and be in the know about all of the happenings at Delta Dental of Arizona, the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation and the oral health topics we're passionate about.

One Response to “Guiding Your Child’s First Steps to Good Dental Health”

  1. WordPress › Error

    There has been a critical error on this website.

    Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress.