How much do you know about protecting your baby’s teeth? As a dentist, I suggest mothers to do this: Around 1 year old, a few milk teeth have just erupted and cannot be brushed with a toothbrush, mothers can feed some plain water to wash away the food residue in baby’s mouth after eating sweets; you can also use clean gauze or skimmed cotton with warm boiled water to gently wipe teeth and gums. Brush your child’s teeth in the morning and before bedtime. Some mothers like to stick a bottle of milk or juice in the baby’s mouth and wait for him to go to sleep, but this is not right. Milk and juice stored in the baby’s mouth can produce harmful acidic liquids, and if the baby goes to sleep at this time, the acidic liquids will erode the tooth enamel, so don’t give the baby anything to eat or drink before bedtime. Correct bad habits Baby only use mouth breathing, regular finger sucking, tongue spitting, biting the lower lip will cause the upper incisors to protrude; baby biting the upper lip habits will form the “ground”; always eat with one side of the teeth, will make the two sides of the face asymmetrical development; sleep often with hands, elbows or fists pillowed under one side of the face, or If you like to rest your cheek with your hand, it may affect the development of teeth and cause malformation. Mothers should correct such bad habits of their babies. In addition, babies should eat more food rich in coarse fiber to strengthen the chewing activities of the dental system, increase the self-cleaning effect of the mouth and teeth, and reduce the incidence of dental disease. Control candy and sweets, and do not eat milk candy with sticky teeth. Avoid containing candy for too long, and should rinse mouth or brush teeth thoroughly after eating candy. Vulval closure to prevent dental caries The new teeth that just erupted at the age of 6~12 years old have deep sockets and are most prone to dental caries, so a protective barrier can be applied on the surface of teeth to prevent bacteria and food residues from entering the sockets to form caries and help babies spend the most cavity-prone years in protection, which is the often mentioned vulval closure. Many parents think that the baby’s milk teeth have to be replaced sooner or later, so it doesn’t matter if they are decayed, they will grow new teeth in the future, in fact, this is incorrect. The reasons are as follows: 1. It takes about ten years from the formation of the milk teeth to the formation of the permanent teeth (from 2 to 12 years old), during these ten years, the baby needs his milk teeth to chew food. If the baby teeth are lost early due to various reasons, the gap between the baby teeth and the permanent teeth will be insufficient, resulting in crowded teeth. 3. The milk teeth have a guiding role in the eruption of the permanent teeth, which can guide the permanent teeth to erupt from the correct position. 4. Long-term inflammation of the milk teeth can cause premature resorption of the alveolar bone and affect the development and mineralization of the new permanent teeth underneath. Frequent checkups Babies should visit the pediatric dentist regularly from the time they get their first teeth. Generally, children from 0 to 12 years old should have an oral checkup every 3 to 6 months, and children over 12 years old can have a checkup once every 6 to 12 months. If you find that the milk teeth are gray in color, lusterless, or even you can see black cavities, it indicates that your baby has already suffered from tooth decay, and your mother should take your baby to the dentist as early as possible. Taking baby to the dentist frequently for health care is to let baby gradually get familiar with the environment there, observe and understand the doctor’s treatment, so that when dental care or treatment is needed, it can be accepted easily and happily. Mother’s love is like sunshine, let mothers take good care of their babies’ little teeth!