{"id":422,"date":"2011-05-10T20:45:11","date_gmt":"2011-05-10T20:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lakeoconeedentalblog.com\/?p=422"},"modified":"2017-01-09T22:16:47","modified_gmt":"2017-01-09T22:16:47","slug":"our-thoughts-on-caring-for-your-childrens-teeth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/our-thoughts-on-caring-for-your-childrens-teeth\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Thoughts On Caring For Your Children\u2019s Teeth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>EVERY PARENT KNOWS THAT TAKING CARE OF THE SMALL MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY IS A FULL-TIME JOB<\/strong>. Along with diaper changes, bath time, and medical checkups, parents also need to take care of their children\u2019s teeth. <strong><em>But what are the best ways<\/em><\/strong> to go about caring for teeth (and baby gums!) during those early years? Here are some of <strong><a title=\"About Our Doctors\" href=\"http:\/\/www.drsbradley.com\/pages\/about.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Dr. Bradley\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> thoughts on the matter\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Birth To 18 Months: No Toothpaste Required!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At<strong><a title=\"Lake Oconee Dental Website\" href=\"http:\/\/www.drsbradley.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Lake Oconee Dentistry<\/a><\/strong>we believe, like most dentists, that oral care is important to everyone\u2014no matter what their age. <strong><a title=\"About Our Doctors\" href=\"http:\/\/www.drsbradley.com\/pages\/about.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Our doctors<\/a><\/strong>recommend that you begin cleaning your children\u2019s teeth as soon as the teeth begin to come in. For babies younger than 18 months, the best way approach is to use a wet cloth or gauze\u2014<em>without toothpaste<\/em>. Gently rub their teeth and gums with a cloth over your fingertip. This, along with nursing and\/or drinking water, is all the oral hygiene that your child needs at the infant stage. Once your child has more of a \u201cfull set\u201d of teeth, your can use a small, soft toothbrush to brush your child\u2019s teeth with water.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When To Start Toothpaste? 18 Months<\/strong><strong><em>I<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>n general, children should not use toothpaste until they are at least 18 months old\u2014<\/em><\/strong>and when you do start using toothpaste, make sure it is a safe \u201cchildren\u2019s toothpaste\u201d made especially for young ones. Young children have different dental needs than grown-ups\u2014and children\u2019s toothpaste is made for this purpose.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What To Look For In A Children\u2019s Toothpaste:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>SAFE TO SWALLOW: Most young children tend to swallow while brushing, rather than spitting out the toothpaste\u2014so we recommend that your children\u2019s toothpaste is formulated with this in mind.<\/li>\n<li>USE ONLY A PEA-SIZED AMOUNT: Don\u2019t use too much toothpaste\u2014just squeeze a small, pea-size (or smaller) amount onto the toothbrush. Your child doesn\u2019t need much toothpaste to be effective, and you don\u2019t want your child to swallow too much toothpaste.<\/li>\n<li>CONSIDER LOW-FLUORIDE CHILDREN\u2019S TOOTHPASTE: Fluoride is an important element of keeping teeth healthy and strong, but too much fluoride can be harmful for young children. Several varieties of children\u2019s toothpaste have lower amounts of fluoride or are fluoride-free.<\/li>\n<li>FUN FLAVORS: Try some different flavors of toothpaste and see what your child likes. Some children\u2014especially at the toddler stage\u2014are very picky about flavors and might be reluctant to use a certain flavor of toothpaste. So be prepared to buy a few different varieties of children\u2019s toothpaste and see which one is your child\u2019s favorite.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>When can my child use adult toothpaste?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At <strong><a title=\"Lake Oconee Dental Website\" href=\"http:\/\/www.drsbradley.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">our practice<\/a>,<\/strong> we typically recommend switching to adult toothpaste with fluoride when your child is able to spit out most of their toothpaste after brushing. This usually happens around age 4-6. However, they should still only be using a \u201cpea-size\u201d amount.<\/p>\n<p><strong>REMEMBER<\/strong>: Brushing your child\u2019s teeth is part of parenting, and you need to start at a young age. By taking the time each day\u2014before bedtime and in the morning\u2014to clean your child\u2019s teeth with a specially formulated children\u2019s toothpaste, <strong><em>you will be helping to create a lifetime of healthy dental habits and happy smiles!<\/em><\/strong><strong>Don\u2019t forget to come in for regular checkups and cleanings so that your children\u2019s teeth stay healthy and strong!<\/strong> Set up an appointment with us through our <strong><a title=\"Contact Lake Oconee Dental\" href=\"https:\/\/lakeoconeedentalblog.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">contact page<\/a><\/strong> or by calling our practice at (<strong>706) 453-1333<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And please join us on our <strong><a title=\"Lake Oconee Dental on Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LakeOconeeDental?ref=ts\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook Page<\/a><\/strong>and <strong><a title=\"Lake Oconee Smile on Twitter\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/lakeoconeesmile\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/strong> Account. It\u2019s a great way to keep up with everything going on in our practice and we would love to stay connected with you there!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>EVERY PARENT KNOWS THAT TAKING CARE<\/strong> of the small members of the family is a full time job\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10,11],"tags":[56,57,58,60,61,72,84,89,122,133],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Our Thoughts On Caring For Your Children\u2019s Teeth - Lake Oconee Dental Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/our-thoughts-on-caring-for-your-childrens-teeth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Our Thoughts On Caring For Your Children\u2019s Teeth - 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