There are a lot of questions when you have an infant and one concern newer parents have is if infant oral care before teeth come in is important. No teeth so no worry, right? Well, that may sound true on the surface, but oral hygiene is more than the teeth and brushing. You may be tempted by the thought that since the baby’s first teeth will fall out then they aren’t as important as the ones later in life. That is another one of those things that sounds true but, isn’t all that accurate.
No one has all the answers as a parent, learning on the job comes with being one. Don’t feel bad or worried that you asked or searched for why infant oral care is important. It’s better to find out than to assume. To help dispel those things that only sound true, here are 5 reasons why infant oral care before teeth come in is important.
Not Making the Dentist Scary
So many of us as adults are terrified of going to the dentist or, at least, nervous about it. A lot of fears like that go back to early experiences and since seeing a dentist is an important part of overall health, preventing a fear of the dentist is essential. You can help prevent that phobia from developing by taking your baby to the dentist for a kind of meet and greet. This is certainly a form of infant oral care before teeth, making sure your child is comfortable with the dentist and dental hygienists. Babies tend to get nervous around anything new, which is most of the world, so helping your youngster get familiar with the process of being at the dentist can only help them see everything is ok.
Gums Matter
People tend to forget that their gums matter at every age and so, infant oral care before teeth is absolutely necessary. It helps to know how the teeth are coming in, if the gums are healthy, and it’s an opportunity to discuss with dental professional issues like teething, baby bottle decay, or cleaning the infant’s gums. Since babies try to put everything in their mouth, especially around teething time, the dentist can catch early signs of possible gum problems caused by some object or another. If the gums aren’t healthy and happy, it’s likely that the teeth won’t be as well.
First Tooth
The first tooth sets the stage for the future of your child’s oral health and tells the tale of your infant’s jaw development. Having a dentist take a look at how the tooth is coming in, how it is looking, and detecting any issues are all a part of infant oral care before teeth. Even though baby teeth all fall out, they mark the place where adult teeth will grow and do set-up the mouth quite a bit for the adult years. Infant oral care before teeth is the best time to ensure fewer problems in the future and develop at home oral health habits.
Know What’s Growing
Infants put everything in their mouths, it’s one of the first sense we develop. Keeping an eye on what could be growing on the gums sets the stage for oral health as your child grows. As mentioned earlier, baby bottle decay is something to watch out for. While this shows on a tooth, it’s considered infant oral care before teeth as it can happy as early as the first tooth. Also, with teething, many parents will give teething biscuits and while there is nothing wrong with them in and of themselves, they do tend to have sugar. As we know, sugar causes cavities and that is something you’ll want the dentist to catch.
Infant Oral Care Matters
From preventing a fear of the dentist to keeping an eye on how your child is developing, infant oral care before teeth is absolutely important. Just because things fall out or are only there for a portion of our lives doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be looked after. Think about the hair on your head, it’ll probably fall out one day, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wash it.
Find a good dentist who has experience with families and infants, see how they handle your child during a consultation, and remember that most of the time dental practices don’t charge for young kids. A free trip to the dentist, what more could anyone ask for? In all seriousness, it’s an opportunity to speak with a professional about your infant’s care. Nothing is more important than that.
