How To Care For Your Child's Teeth In the First Two Years

For many parents, care of teeth during infancy is an area that lacks attention as we don’t expect any dental problems to manifest till several years of age when the teeth are clearly visible. But, adhering to good oral hygienic practices from the earliest of age have shown to prevent certain disease conditions involving the gums as well as some of the common orthodontic problems which are seen in the early childhood.

When considering how we can take care of a child’s teeth in the first two years of life, we can take two approaches in relation to the first year of life and for the next 12 months. Let us take a look at these time periods separately.
First 12 months: caring for infant teeth

During this time there may not be any teeth or will see the eruptions of teeth taking place during the latter part of the first year. But, the important thing during this time would be to look after the gums as it might give rise to certain problems later on. Thus, gently brushing the gums with water on a soft bristled baby toothbrush or using a wash cloth to wipe out the gums after a feed should be done at least in most instances.

You should schedule the child to be seen by a doctor at regular intervals and schedule a dental checkup appropriately according to the recommendation made at the clinic visits. Although the use of fluoride containing tooth paste is not recommended till the child is two years of age, your doctor would be the best person to decide on the use of such toothpaste depending on the child’s requirement as well as based on the environmental factors.
Second year of life:

During this year, the norm should be to brush the child’s teeth and gums at least twice a day and this should be timed in the morning as well as just prior to going to bed. Brushing should be done with water on a baby toothbrush with soft bristles and the use of toothpaste should be done after consulting with your doctor on its appropriateness and the necessity.

As with the first year of life, the child should be followed-up at the clinics and advice should be sorted in regard to habits such as strong thumb sucking or sucking on a pacifier which may disrupt the formation of teeth. At the same time, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should be given only one cup of fruit juices as it might affect the health of the teeth in the long run, especially when there is added sugar in the fruit juice.