ORAL HYGIENE AND DIET OF BABIES FOR PREVENTION OF CAVITIES

How to maintain oral hygiene of babies?

When to start?

• Immediately after birth
• As a part of overall hygiene (just like giving bath and cleaning after potty!)
• Clean baby’s gums and tongue before eruption of teeth 
• Start tooth brushing as soon as the first tooth is visible

What to use?

1. Soft wet piece of clean cloth for cleaning gums and tongue

2. Finger brush as teeth start erupting

3. Soft toothbrush of age appropriate size when all teeth erupt by 2 ½ to 3 years

With/without toothpaste? How much toothpaste?

                                                                                        

1. Start using toothpaste only when your baby learns to spit

2. Use a fluoridated toothpaste of any brand

3. Use only a small amount (just a smear or equal to a pea size)

How to clean?

1. Mother can manage alone for very young babies

2. For the elder ones, a second person may be needed to hold the baby firmly

“Knee to knee position” for brushing a toddler’s teeth: one person holds the child firmly and the other one cleans the teeth

How many times?

1. Make the baby drink water after every feed so that the milk/food is cleared from teeth

2. Clean gums/teeth at least 2-3 times a day

3. Must at night before going to bed 

What are good feeding habits?

As mentioned in my previous blog (Preventing cavities in children…how???), any foodstuff containing sugar is potentially harmful for teeth if given too frequently. This applies to milk with sugar also as it accumulates around teeth especially during sleep hours and puts the teeth under risk of developing cavities.

Bottle feeding

 

1. DO NOT put the baby to sleep with bottle filled with milk

2. Avoid having your baby drink from a sippy cup filled with milk/juice/any sweet liquid

in between meals

3. Stop feeding with bottle between 1 to 1 ½  years of age; have the babies drink from a cup as they approach their first birthday; solid foods other than milk can be started gradually at this age

Solid food

1. Feed sufficient solid food (like dal-rice, roti, vegetables, fruits etc.) to the baby at regular intervals so that he/she will not need milk frequently

2. After introduction of other solid foods, reduce milk frequency to twice daily at the most; calcium requirements of body can be fulfilled with substitutes of milk such as curd, cheese, paneer etc.

3. Avoid giving sweet snacks (chocolates, biscuits, jelly, cake, jam, ice cream, cold drink, mithai etc.) in between meal times  

Breast feeding

1. Reduce frequency of breast feeding after the first tooth begins to erupt and other dietary carbohydrates (e.g. rice, wheat etc.) are introduced

2. Especially at night, if the baby is fed enough with the solid food before sleeping, he/she will not require breast feeding frequently during sleep hours

3. Remember breast milk itself is not harmful for teeth; it is the habit of frequent breast feeding combined with other sweets consumption that increases the risk of early decay of teeth  

                                                                                                                          

Balanced diet

The food pyramid shows (from bottom to top) quantities of different food groups to be consumed in descending order for dental as well as overall health of children.

Good oral hygiene and dietary habits thus make up the first step for optimum dental health of our children!  

Most common complaint parents have about their children..."my child just doesn't brush his/her teeth!"
How to make brushing less of a battle and more of fun for children? Read in the next blog!