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Taking Care of a Baby’s Teeth

When your newborn child is born, the last thing on your mind is likely dealing with their dental hygiene, but it is important for a parent to begin to take care of their child’s oral and dental hygiene as soon as they can after they are born. Most Austin dental professionals and dental clinics Austin Texas recommend that parents learn how to take care of their child’s mouth and the signs to look for that may point to a painful condition that is known as thrush.

Basic Care

When a child is born, they have teeth in their mouth, even though the teeth are under the gums. When a child is done feeding, it is recommended that a warm, clean wash cloth is used to gently wash the inside of their mouth. This, pediatricians believe, can help to prevent a condition known as thrush.

Thrush is a fungal infection that is caused by yeast, or Candida, that appears in the mouth. The condition can spread through an infant’s body and can appear not only in their mouth but also in a form of diaper rash. Parents who recognize the signs of thrush can get their children treated faster, which allows their children to get well faster and makes it more difficult for the condition to spread. You will want to teach your child to have the best oral hygiene to avoid things like
porcelain facings, Austin teeth bonding and ceramic teeth later in life.

Later in Life

All dentists will agree that the best way to make sure that children have good oral habits is to make sure that they learn early in life how to take care of their teeth, and this comes from the parents. Parents who teach their children how to take care of their mouth will have children who enjoy brushing their teeth and having white and clean teeth. When a child is very young, however, they do not understand why their gums may start to hurt. Teething is a condition that can start around the age of three months but is generally begun when a child is around six months old. At this point children start drooling and often get very irritable from dental gum cutting. Parents can ease the pain by gently massaging the gums or by using a cool teething ring or a teething biscuit. Once the teeth have started to erupt, parents can continue to wash their child’s mouth using a clean washcloth, keeping the tooth clean and starting a lifelong habit of good oral hygiene.

ECC

Early Childhood Cavities, or ECC, is a condition that is often called baby bottle tooth decay, and is caused by a child being allowed to fall asleep with a bottle that has liquids other than water and by a child having sugary beverages and too many carbohydrates. It is always a good idea for parents to put children to bed either with a pacifier or a bottle that has only pure water in it, so that this condition can be avoided, as it may indicate that there is a very large risk for severe tooth decay as the child grows to become an adult. You may want to speak with a cosmetic dentist about invisible braces Austin early on if your child has crooked teeth. Teeth whitening has also become a more poular option for younger patients.