A well-recognized fact says that a substantial portion of the success in our life owes to the good valuable habits we incur during our growing years.
Many of us have consciously given full attribute to these good habits that get cultivated in our life, when young. Parenting also is a significant part of upholding the inhibition of good practices in the children.
Not only good habits teach valuable lessons in life, but they also support the excellent health of an individual positively.
The importance of health and hygiene is one of the significant aspects of our life.
Children under five years are more receptive to all the practices related to health and hygiene than the older ones.
Infants start developing teeth once they turn two, but their mouths are very vulnerable in getting infected fast with various sorts of fungal infections.
Oral hygiene is always neglected, but that is one of the central aspects of the growing years.
Read below the seven useful tips for the infant’s oral health and hygiene, which are going to be beneficial in the long run.
Effective Tips for Infant Oral Health and Hygiene
Clean the inside of the infant’s mouth thoroughly
Teeth of infants start growing from the second trimester, but they are not easily visible.
Instead, they get fully formed inside the jaws. After a year, they slowly start getting visible.
You have to be extra cautious about the inner portion of the baby’s mouth. Always keep it clean from inside, especially after every feed.
As milk is the prime diet for all infants aged between one to six months, the acids and enzymes present in the milk lead to the growth of dental plaque.
Wet a soft piece of cloth and clean the inside of the infant’s mouth carefully.
If so, there will be chances of further breeding of bacteria in due course. Later massage the gums gently while stimulating the teeth growth.
Side-step bottle feeding before the infant’s sleep
Along with cleaning your infant’s mouth from inside, you should protect them from being affected by an oral condition known as ‘bottle mouth.’
This kind of situation happens when your infant’s mouth is in contact with a milk bottle or one with juice!
The sugar content in the milk or juice harms their oral health and hygiene while destroying the protective coating over the teeth, leading to decay.
If at all, your infant has the habit of sucking a bottle to sleep, be sure of the bottle having only water in it.
Use less of feeding bottles and pacifiers
Restrict yourself from giving feeding bottles to your infant all the time. The continuous sucking on these feeding bottles spoils their oral health.
The natural enamel inside gets eroded, leading to premature tooth decay. Also, the frequent sucking on feeding bottles leads to the change of gum shape. They will thus grow up with kinked teeth!
Avoid sweetened drinks
Introduce your infant with variants of vegetable juices, as they not only are healthy ones but have no side-effects on their oral health and hygiene.
We all want our infants to taste all sorts of liquids that are easily palatable. But in the long run, the sugar content in the fruit juices we offer leads to fast tooth decay.
While taking these fruit juices from the feeding bottle, it can lead to sugar addiction amongst them. Various renowned dental associations all-over the world is of a similar opinion.
Regular brushing
After completing one year, introduce brushing in their daily routine. Start with a small toothpaste blob on their brushes, for them to identify the taste. But be careful only to use fluoride-free toothpaste.
Teach them to spread the fluoride toothpaste evenly on their teeth, tongue, as well as gums. Opt for toothbrushes in accordance to their age. They are readily available in retail outlets and local drug stores.
Be conscious of changing their toothbrushes quarterly. Keep an eye on the bristle conditions. Change to a new one when they seem worn-out. They should brush for 1-2 minutes.
Moreover, regularly visit the dentist for a thorough check-up, to ensure that the infant’s oral health is excellent and hygienic.
Mouth-guard for oral safely
Once your infant starts venturing out with various outdoor activities, you should be more cautious about their dental health and hygiene.
If they play any outdoor sport, protect their mouth with a ‘mouth-guard.’ A mouth-guard is made of soft plastic, protecting the teeth along with the lips from any injuries.
Your infant’s dentist is the best person to guide you. If at all you require a custom-fit mouth-guard, then they are the best person to guide you.
Clean feeding bottle’s nipple and pacifiers meticulously
Pacifiers and the feeding bottle’s nipples are generally in close contact with your infant’s teeth.
Thoroughly clean the bottles, especially the feeding bottle’s nipple, and pacifiers, before giving them the same.
They create havoc for your infant’s dental health and hygiene and causes real problems if not taken proper care.
Prolonged usage of pacifiers and feeding bottles lead to severe tooth decay. Sometimes it could lead to tooth extraction! With the advent of modern ‘sedation-dentistry,’ the process has become more relaxed.
Many obscurities become visible with the aid of 3D and panoramic view of papaya X-ray in any certified dental center. But still, you have to take all precautionary measures with your infant’s oral health and hygiene.
Sparkling ivories
As parents, you are required to be more cautious concerning your infant’s oral health and hygiene.
Many of us have this notion that as they grow up, their oral hygiene will develop automatically.
And, we eventually rely upon the milk teeth as they get replaced with a new set of permanent teeth as they get older.
But these oral hygiene habits will ultimately carry forward till they become adults.
You should act as a mentor for your infant’s oral hygiene. They will automatically follow you when they find you taking adequate care of your teeth.
These above discussed seven useful tips for your infant’s oral health, and hygiene will help them keep their ivory sets better, stronger, and sparkling forever!
