Monday, October 29, 2007

The Care Of Baby Teeth: What A Parent Should Know

Of course, with your newborn, you won't be worrying about tooth
care. However, as your child gets older, you'll want to know
how to take care of your older baby's or toddler's teeth.
Caring for a baby's or toddler's teeth can be challenging, but
it's still important. Here are some tips you should follow.

When new teeth come in

As any new parent knows, by the time a baby is just a few
months old, he or she may be cutting a first tooth. This is
where the care of baby teeth starts. First of all, to help the
baby teethe, you can purchase specially made teething rings that
usually can be put in the freezer and made cold and hard.
Babies love to chew on these, since they help ease the pain and
also help new teeth break through the gums.

Oftentimes, children get slight colds or runny noses during the
teething process. If this happens, or if your child is running
a slight fever, you can wipe the child with a damp washcloth to
make him or her feel better. If the fever persists, make sure
to contact your pediatrician or other health care professional
to see what interventions you might do. For example, you might
be able to give the child a little baby Tylenol or some other
type of pain reliever. This will not only help fever go down,
but it will also help ease the teething pain.

Once your child has a few teeth, you can begin to introduce him
or her to proper oral hygiene. For very, very small babies with
few or no teeth, a warm, clean, wet washcloth rubbed on gums may
be enough to help keep the mouth clean. Of course, always put
your child to bed with only a bottle of water, no milk or juice.
Once your child is a bit older, you'll want to begin to
introduce him or her to brushing teeth. At first, do this
yourself with a soft brush and a little baby tooth paste.
Brushing your child's teeth while he or she is still young will
help him or her get used to the process.

Of course, once your child gets older, around the age of five
or six, the baby teeth will start to fall out and adult teeth
will start to come in. Once this begins to happen, remember to
make it fun and exciting. Of course, children usually like this
process, because the tooth fairy visits and they get a little
spending money for their trouble. Make sure to make the process
even easier by providing soft foods if the child has trouble
chewing after he or she loses the tooth.

With a little luck and some planning, your child's teeth will
take him or her to adulthood healthy and strong. Good oral
hygiene is a must for this, so start early by both practicing
good hygiene and taking the child to the dentist for regular
visits.

About The Author: Peyton Hines is both a parent, grandparent
and has coached children athletics for years. He has written
articles on a wide variety of topics. To learn more about
general baby care tips and information visit our site at
http://www.basicbabycare.com

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