Your Pediatric Dentist in Charlotte Offers Tips For Keeping Your Child’s Teeth Cavity Free

As a parent your child’s health is a top priority. You work hard to ensure they get enough sleep and eat the right foods. Keeping your child’s teeth healthy and cavity free should also be on your list. Even though baby teeth will eventually fall out, keeping these little teeth clean is important because they have a big job to do. Your child’s baby teeth are responsible for helping your child learn speech patterns and how to navigate solid foods. Baby teeth also act as space savers and guides for the adult teeth that will be arriving down the road. Your pediatric dentist in Charlotte offers some tips for keeping your child’s teeth cavity free.

Help Your Child Brush and Floss Regularly

As soon as your child’s first tooth arrive you should begin to brush teeth twice daily with soft toothpaste that is safe to swallow. Not only does this keep your child’s teeth clean and healthy, it instills good oral hygiene habits early on. The use of toothpaste with fluoride prevents cavities and is well known and documented to help build and strengthen your child’s teeth. Children under age three (3) should use a small smear of fluoridated toothpaste – no more than the size of a grain of rice. Children between the ages of three to six (3-6) should use a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste. Your child will need assistance brushing until around the age of six or seven years old.

Regular Dental Visits

Visiting the dentist regularly helps to maintain optimum oral health because your dentist can detect conditions like tooth decay in its earliest stages. Bringing your child with you to your own dental appointments helps them see that the dental office is fun and not scary, and prepares them for their own future dental visits.

Parents should establish a dental home – preferably a pediatric dentist – for the infant by 12 months of age.

Eat Healthy Foods

We all understand that sugar is the number one enemy of your teeth, but did you know that eating healthy foods actually promotes oral health? Eating fresh fruits and vegetables helps increase saliva flow, which washes away the food debris that causes plaque and tooth decay. Reducing the number of snacks they have in between meals and limiting your child’s intake of sugary and starchy foods also helps prevent tooth decay and cavities.

We’re here to be your partners in helping your child achieve and maintain great oral health. Dr. Marcela Mujica has worked with children for many years and she specializes in making your child feel comfortable and at ease. Our office is made just for children with games and toys that will help them look forward to their dental appointments. We can’t wait to meet your child! Contact us today to schedule their appointment.