Brushing, First Dental Visits, & More! What You Need to Know About Baby Teeth

How soon should you start to pay attention to your child’s dental health? Before they even have any teeth. The truth is it’s never too early for your child to see a dentist. Even before they have their first tooth, the teeth exist below the gum line and are starting to form. Baby gums are the foundation for baby teeth — and baby teeth are the foundation for adult teeth. Here are a few things you should know about your baby’s dental care and how to get them down the right road to dental health at an early age.

Its Science: Facts About Baby Teeth You Should Know

Here’s an interesting science fact. Babies are actually born with teeth from the very beginning. Babies have 20 primary teeth they develop in the womb. They just haven’t emerged yet. At about 3 months of age, teething begins. This can be an irritable time for the baby (as well as mommy and daddy!) Teething toys can help with the pain as well as encourage tooth development. The first teeth that to emerge will likely be the incisors (the teeth on the bottom front).

Baby teeth are gradually replaced by 32 adult teeth. Between 6 and 12, your child will have a combination of baby and adult teeth. The back teeth (canines and molars) are not lost until ages 9 to 13.

When Should My Child Start Brushing?

As soon as you see a tooth, it’s time to start brushing. In fact, even before there are any teeth you might want to gently massage your child’s gums with your finger. This is good preparation and healthy for the gums. You can get baby toothbrushes designed to go over the finger that can gently soothe your child’s teeth and gums. Baby toothpaste is especially designed to be harmless to swallow.

When Should Your Child Visit Our Sharonville Dental Office?

You should bring your child in at the first sign of a tooth — or when they are a year old. Early visits to the dentist have been found to reduce cavity risk by encouraging proper dental health at an early age. It’s best to start them out on the right foot.

Really, the sooner you get them in the better. We’re always happy to see infants. When we see babies, we can check to make sure their teeth are developing in a healthy way. We can check their bite and make sure their gums are healthy. Seeing infants is a great way to start dentist visits out on the right foot. They get used to seeing the dentist. It just becomes commonplace.

What to Expect from Your Child’s First Visit

Your child’s first visit is really just an introduction. We’ll take a look at your child’s jawline and make sure everything’s developing correctly. If your child is older than a year, we’ll also demonstrate healthy brushing and show them fun dental models as educational tools. They’ll even get to ride in our dentist chair. It’s a fun and enjoyable experience. Our dentists and staff are great with kids.

We like to make your child’s first visits to the dentist fun and educational. We keep it light — more of an introduction, a get to know your dentist than anything else. The more positive we can make these early experiences, the less chance they’ll develop dental phobias later in life.

Family Dentistry: Our Staff is Great with Kids!

Because we’re a family dental practice, we treat everyone one in the family, from 1 to 99. Our staff works great with kids. We practice gentle dentistry and do everything we can to help your child feel relaxed and comfortable. We’ll give them a ride in the dentist chair. They can pick out a special toothbrush (we have the latest Disney characters!) Your child is in good hands.