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we recommend using a wet gauze or clean washcloth and gently to wipe the plaque from your baby’s teeth and gums.  Do this after the morning feeding and before your child goes to sleep for the night. Avoid putting your child to bed with a bottle filled with anything other than water.

Toddlers and children just starting school need to have an adult help them brush their teeth at least twice a day and floss daily.  Fine motor skills used in brushing don’t develop in children until at least ages 6-7. Your child can be ready to brush their teeth unsupervised if they are able to write in cursive or tie their shoes without assistance.

Many children respond well to using an electric toothbrush. Ask us about when to start and how to introduce this into your child’s tooth routine.

Be sure your child receives regular dental checkups and cleanings every six months up until age 16.  If your child is at high risk for tooth decay, has had cavities or is in braces, we may recommend more frequent visits.  And of course, always teach and encourage your children to make healthy food choices at meals and for snacks.

One serious form of decay among young children is baby bottle tooth decay, sometimes referred to as ‘bottle rot.’ The official, proper name of this condition is called Early Childhood Caries (ECC). This condition is caused by frequent and long exposures of an infant’s teeth to liquids that contain sugars. Among these liquids are milk (including breast milk), formula, fruit juice and other sweetened drinks.

If you give your child a bottle filled with juice or milk, or breastfeed them before putting them to sleep, it could cause serious and rapid tooth decay. The reason? Sweet liquid pools around the child’s teeth and gives plaque bacteria an opportunity to produce acids that attack tooth enamel.  During the day, saliva produced in your child’s mouth protects teeth from these acids, but at night saliva production decreases and the teeth are left more vulnerable.

If you must give your baby a bottle as a comforter at bedtime, it should contain only water. If your child won’t fall asleep without the bottle and its usual beverage, gradually dilute the bottle’s contents with water over a period of two to three weeks until your child becomes used to only water at bedtime. After the final nighttime feeding (including breastfeeding), brush or wipe the baby’s gums and teeth with a damp washcloth or gauze pad to remove plaque. The easiest way to do this is to sit down, place the child’s head in your lap or lay the child on a dressing table or the floor. Whatever position you use, be sure you can see into the child’s mouth easily.

Tooth brushing is one of the most important tasks for good oral health.

When selecting toothpaste for your child, make sure to choose one that is recommended by the American Dental Association and include the ADA Seal of Acceptance. These toothpastes have undergone objective scientific evaluation and testing to insure they are safe and effective to use.

For very young children, use an amount of toothpaste smaller than a baby pea or just a smear.  It’s important for parents and caregivers to help children get in the habit of spitting out toothpaste after brushing.   Toothpaste is NOT a food.

Dental decay in children is on the rise.  According to a February 2010 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dental decay is the most common chronic disease of childhood – five times more common than asthma!

The good news is that we know that decay detected at the beginning stages of enamel demineralization can actually be reversed using fluoride as a trace mineral. Demineralization refers to the damage done to the tooth’s enamel caused by acid from the bacteria; when this occurs, important minerals have been depleted from the enamel. Demineralization is also commonly referred to as a ‘white spot’ or ‘white spot lesion.’ However, we can reduce demineralization with careful applications of fluoride in the office. When the tooth enamel begins to harden again, it is called–no surprise!–remineralization. If caught in time, remineralization allows the tooth to avoid the need for a traditional filling.  We monitor and track these areas of concern at every dental visit so these teeth can stay healthy and avoid fillings if at all possible.

Sucking is a natural reflex and a self-calming habit for very young children.  Infants and young children frequently use thumbs, fingers, pacifiers and other objects to suck to create a sense of relaxation and induce sleep. It may make them feel secure and happy or provide a sense of security at difficult periods.

Whether or not dental problems result from thumb sucking depends on how intensely a child sucks on fingers or thumbs.  Children who rest their thumbs passively in their mouths are less likely to have difficulty than those who vigorously suck their thumbs.  Prolonged thumb sucking habits can lead to delayed language skills, speech impediments, tongue thrusting, difficulty in swallowing, prolonged drooling, and cross bites.

Children should cease thumb sucking by the time their permanent front teeth are ready to erupt. Usually, children stop between the ages of two and four when they can begin to verbalize their frustrations. Peer pressure also causes many school-aged children to stop.

Pacifiers are no substitute for thumb sucking. They can affect the teeth essentially the same way as sucking fingers and thumbs. However, use of the pacifier can be controlled and modified more easily than the thumb or finger habit. Please discuss your concerns about thumb sucking or use of a pacifier with the doctor during your child’s dental exam.

Here are a few ideas to help you help your child reduce occurrences of thumb sucking:

• Don’t scold children for thumb sucking.  Instead, praise them when they do not.

• Children often suck their thumbs when feeling insecure or anxious. Focus on correcting the cause of anxiety, instead of the thumb sucking.

• Reward children when they refrain from sucking during difficult periods, such as when being separated from their parents.

• At bedtime, place a bandage on the thumb or cover the entire hand with a sock or mitten.

• Practice “not sucking” while reading a book or watching a video so that the calming behavior of reading or watching isn’t linked to the sucking habit.

• Don’t talk and answer if your child speaks to you with the thumb or fingers in the mouth.  Wait to answer them when their thumb or fingers are OUT.

If the habit continues past age four, we may recommend an appointment with a therapist that specializes in muscle behavior modification, or alternatively, using a dental appliance like a night guard that will block your child’s thumb from entering his or her mouth.

Behavior modification, not criticism, is the best way to encourage your child to stop thumb sucking.

aren't are often concerned about the nocturnal grinding of teeth called bruxism. Often, the first indication of a problem is the noise created by the child grinding their teeth during sleep or the parent noticing excessive wear – and the teeth getting shorter!

Bruxism is not uncommon during the ages when teeth are erupting.  The majority of cases of pediatric bruxism do not require any treatment and most children outgrow it on their own. The grinding decreases between ages 6 to 9 years and children tend to stop grinding by age 12.

We don’t know exactly why grinding or bruxism occurs, but there are theories.  Stress due to a new environment, divorce, changes at school, etc. can influence a child to grind his/her teeth. Another theory relates to pressure in the inner ear at night. If there are pressure changes in the atmosphere, similar to in an airplane during take-off and landing, the child may move his/her jaw to relieve this pressure and inadvertently grind his/her teeth.  It may also occur coincidentally with a growth spurt – the child’s jaw grows and the teeth rub together during that time.

If you suspect bruxism may be affecting your child, mention it to the front office when you make the appointment or to the doctor during your child’s dental exam.  If your child also snores, bruxism can be a sign of sleep apnea, so we will want to discuss this with you.