Babies may be born toothless bundles of joy, but underneath the surface baby teeth are nearly completely formed. While the first gnasher may not erupt until a child is 6 to 12 months old, dental care is essential to prevent dental problems down the line.

Parents are encourage to use a soft, wet cloth to wipe down babies’ gums to remove sugars deposits left behind after eating. That process will minimize the risk of a child developing tooth decay and gum disease before they can even walk. Then, based on what stage of development your child is in, there are certain behaviors and products that if implemented incorrectly can result in create a slew of dental problems in the mouth of babes.

Lay Off the Bottle

While a baby may grin when they see the faces of their mothers and fathers, their first true love affair comes from the baby bottle. The feeding device has been designed to tap into a newborn’s natural instincts of grabbing and sucking and once a kid gets the hang of tapping the contents of the container, they may never want to let it go. That is where a parent has to get firm as when used incorrectly, the simply device can up the odds of offspring developing baby bottle tooth decay syndrome. In order to prevent the condition from developing parents need to take two precautions; never put your baby to bed with a bottle and choose the contents of said bottle extremely carefully.

During slumber, the production of saliva naturally slows down. The liquid is comprised of water, enzymes and other compounds essential to washing away sugars and debris left behind after eating. If I baby is allowed to feed right before sleep, trace elements of food will be left behind attacked by oral bacteria, create dental plaque and contribute to tooth decay.

Additionally, when that bottle is filled, it should only contain essential foods such as formula, 100 percent fruit juice or water. Those three things will do wonders for quenching the thirst of a young one and is a much better option than filling a baby bottle with soda or sports drinks.

Pacifiers Screw Up Smiles

Babies are calmed and soothed by sucking and pacifiers are the favored devices for the task. For hundreds of years, parents have let their children suck the devices, and for good reason. Pacifiers can lower the odds of a child falling victim to sudden infant death syndrome and can provide a baby another option than screaming and crying at the top of their lungs. But at age 2, the devices should no longer be used as they can cause dental problems.

The constant presence and use of a pacifier can prevent a mouth from taking on its proper shape, mess with tooth alignment and inhibit proper dental development as a whole. According to 0900-DENTIST, “Constant sucking can cause top front teeth to slant out, and bottom front teeth to tilt in. It also can lead to jaw misalignment (such as an overbite) and a narrowing of the roof of the mouth.”

Thumbs Down to Thumb Sucking

Everyone, including kids, have vices. If a parent tries to stop one (IE using a pacifier) there is a possibility that junior will just start sucking their thumb instead. While some thumb-sucking is considered safe for brief periods of time (until around age four), how hard a kid sucks and how long they do it for can created dental problems when teeth and smiles evolve. Common dental problems caused by thumb sucking include malocclusion, palate development and speech issues.

As with any type of dental care, preventative dentistry (such as eliminated these devices from your children’s world) can end up saving money and improve dental health in the long run. Caregivers interested in finding out more ways to prevent dental problems from impacting the mouth of babes should discuss the issue directly with a dentist specializing in children’s dental care. Regardless of if you want to find a family dentist or kid’s dentist to assist with the task, one phone call to 0900-DENTIST will provide you with a dentist up for the task.