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Good Oral Health Habits Start Early
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. Attitudes and habits established at an early age are critical in maintaining good oral health throughout life.
Realization of the importance of early oral health has grown along with the American Dental Association’s event.
Beginning in 1941 with a one-day event in Cleveland and a weeklong event in Akron, the ADA created the national observance day in 1949. It grew to a month long awareness campaign in 1981.
Head Start uses the I Am Moving I Am Learning curriculum enhancement to teach healthy habits. Their mascot “Choosy” provides the following tips for early oral health:
Choosy Babies
Babies Need Healthy Mouths: Even before you see the first tooth, wipe your baby’s gums after feeding and before bedtime using a clean, damp wash cloth wrapped around your finger.
What’s In That Bottle?: Put only formula, breast milk or water in a baby’s bottle. Juice or sweet drinks are not healthy for your baby and can cause sickness and tooth decay.
Water Your Pacifiers: Never dip a pacifier in honey, sugar or anything sweet because this coats the mouth and teeth with sugar. Never clean off a pacifier by putting it in your own mouth.
My Gums are Tender: Your baby might drool, be more cranky than normal, and have sore, swollen gums while teeth break through gums. Use a clean, cold teething ring, cold spoon or clean finger to rub baby’s gums.
Sugar Free Lullaby: Do not put your baby to sleep with a bottle or sippy cup of milk or juice because this can cause cavities. Singing lullabies helps your child go to sleep and does not cause cavities!
Baby Teeth Are Important: As soon as baby teeth appear, cavities can start. Use an infant toothbrush and water to clean baby’s first teeth.
Choosy Toddlers
Toddler Toothpaste: By 2 years old, start using a tiny dot of fluoride toothpaste (smaller than a pea) when you brush your toddler’s teeth.
Spit Don’t Rinse: Have your toddler spit out the toothpaste after brushing, but don’t rinse with water. The toothpaste that stays in your toddler’s mouth will coat teeth with fluoride that strengthens and protects them.
Bottle Free Naps and Bedtime: Finish bedtime and naptime bottles before laying down for bed, otherwise your child’s drink may irritate or damage teeth while sleeping. Never put your child to bed with a propped up bottle.
Try a Cup When Year One is Up: Try to have your child start drinking from a cup around 12 to 14 months.
Safe Sippy Cups: For mouth safety, make sure your child is sitting down, not walking or running while drinking from a sippy cup.
Don’t Lose Baby Teeth to Cavities: It’s important to keep baby teeth cavity free because they help your child speak, chew and keep the space open for the next set of teeth.
Cup or Sippy Cup? A sippy cup is not a bottle and it’s not a pacifier. Unless it’s being used at meal time with milk, fill a sippy cup ONLY with water.
