Healthy teeth are important to your baby’s overall health. They help your baby eat and form sounds and words. They also affect the way your baby’s jaw grows. Good oral care helps set good dental habits as your baby grows. Poor oral care can lead to infection, disease, or other teeth problems.
2. Dental Hygiene : How to Care for Your Baby’s Teeth
Healthy teeth are important to your baby’s overall health. They help your baby eat and form
sounds and words. They also affect the way your baby’s jaw grows. Good oral care helps
set good dental habits as your baby grows. Poor oral care can lead to infection, disease, or
other teeth problems.
Why Healthy Baby Teeth Are Important
Baby teeth help:
● hold spaces open for the adult (permanent) teeth to come in
● form the shape of your child’s face
● make it easier for your child to talk more clearly
● make chewing and eating easier
3. Baby Teeth development
Baby teeth develop while babies are still in the womb. Newborns have a full set of 20 baby
teeth hidden in their gums.
For most babies, teeth begin to appear between 6 and 10 months. In some children, teeth
appear as early as three months. In others, they don’t arrive until around 12 months.
Children get teeth at different times. A very small number of children are born with 1-2
teeth.
Baby teeth can arrive in any order, although the central bottom teeth are often first. All 20
baby teeth will usually arrive by the time your child is three years old.
The 32 adult teeth replace the baby teeth between the ages of 6 and 20 years.
4. As each baby tooth gets to the surface of the gum, the gum opens up to show the tooth.
Babies sometimes rub their gums together when new teeth are starting to come through
the gum. This isn’t usually a problem.
Many people think that ‘teething’ babies also:
● cry a lot or seem extra cranky
● don’t feed as well as usual
● suck on objects like toys, dummies and bibs
● have more dirty nappies more often
● pull the ear on the same side as the tooth coming through.
Teething
5. If you’re concerned about your baby’s teething, you can try:
● gently rubbing your baby’s gums with a clean finger – make sure to wash your hands
first
● giving your baby something to bite on, like a cold (but not frozen) teething ring,
toothbrush or dummy
● cooking mushier foods, which need less chewing
● giving your baby something firm, like a sugar-free rusk, to suck on.
Teething gels aren’t generally recommended because they probably don’t help to ease pain.
They can also have harmful side effects.
Teething: Things to try
6. Pigeon Cooling Teether
These circle shaped cooling teethers for
babies are loved by babies and are fully
made up of softest class silicone with
reduced effects on tooth alignment and
development. These tethers have a
soothing and physically stabilizing
influence on the baby.
9. Dental care for baby teeth can start before your baby’s first tooth appears. Once your baby
is about three months old, you can gently wipe your baby’s gums using a damp, clean face
washer or gauze twice a day. This helps your baby get ready for brushing when the first
tooth appears.
As soon as the first tooth appears, clean teeth using a soft infant toothbrush designed for
children under two years. If your baby doesn’t like the toothbrush in their mouth, you can
keep using a clean, damp face washer or gauze to wipe the front and back of each tooth.
Use only water on the toothbrush until your baby is 18 months old, unless a dentist tells
you to do something else.
★ Cleaning and caring for children’s teeth early on sets up good dental care habits for
life.
Dental Care for Baby Teeth and Gums
10. 1. Position your baby so you can see baby’s mouth, and baby feels secure. It might help
to sit on a bed or the floor with your baby lying down so that baby’s head is on your
lap.
2. Cup your baby’s chin in your hands, with baby’s head resting against your body.
3. Lift your baby’s lip to clean teeth using soft, circular motions.
4. Make sure you spend time on the front and back of each tooth and also the gum line.
The Best Way to Clean Baby Teeth
★ If your baby doesn’t like having teeth brushed, you could try make brushing more fun
by singing songs or letting your baby play with a toy. Even a quick attempt at brushing
is better than nothing, so your child starts to learn that brushing is a normal part of the
daily routine.
11. 1. After cleaning your baby’s teeth and gums, rinse the toothbrush with tap water.
2. Store the toothbrush upright in an open container to allow it to air-dry.
3. You should replace toothbrushes every 3-4 months, or when the bristles get worn or
frayed.
Preventing Early Tooth Decay
Teeth cleaning alone isn’t a guarantee against tooth decay. Diet and the way you feed your
baby are also important.
Keeping the Toothbrush Clean
12. Babies aged 0-6 months need only breastmilk or formula. Breastfed and formula-fed
babies older than six months can also have small amounts of water. Avoid giving your baby
sugary drinks. Once you introduce solids, also avoid giving your baby foods high in sugar.
Don’t put your baby to sleep with a bottle. When your baby is asleep, there’s less saliva in
the mouth to protect teeth. If your baby falls asleep with a bottle, formula or milk might
slowly drip into your baby’s mouth and soak teeth. This puts your baby at risk of tooth
decay. Also note that putting your baby to sleep with a bottle is a choking risk.
If your baby likes a dummy, don’t dip it in food and liquids like honey and sugar.
★ To make sure your baby’s teeth and gums are healthy, it’s a good idea for baby to see
the dentist at around 12 months or when the first tooth comes through, whichever
happens first.
13. Infant and Children's Oral Health
Birth to 6 months of age:
It is important to care for your child's teeth and dental (oral) health from birth.
Practicing healthy habits can prevent or reduce tooth decay (cavities) in infants and children.
● Always clean your infant's gums after feeding:
○ Cradle your baby with one arm
○ Wrap a moistened washcloth around the index finger of your free hand
○ Gently massage the gum tissues
14. ● Do not put your baby to bed with a bottle, prop it in their mouth or allow your baby to
feed "at will".
● Infants normally begin teething between four and six months of age. His/her gums
may be red and swollen and saliva flow may increase. To ease these symptoms, give
your infant a clean teething ring or cold wet washcloth. Cold temperatures are
soothing, so you may want to chill the teething ring.
● Remember, dental decay is an infectious transmissible disease. Avoid testing the
temperature of the bottle with your mouth, sharing utensils (e.g. spoons), or cleaning a
pacifier or a bottle nipple by putting it in your mouth. These practices can help stop the
transmission of bacteria that cause tooth decay (cavities).
15. Pigeon’s Baby Tooth & Gum Wipes
Pigeon baby wipes ensure oral
hygiene at baby's early stages.
Convenient way of cleaning
while baby is asleep. Extremely
hygienic with sterilized
individual sachets.
16. 6-12 months of age:
Between the ages of six to eight months, your baby will get his/her first tooth. It is
important to care for his/her teeth right from the start. Practicing healthy habits can prevent
or reduce tooth decay (cavities) in infants and children.
● Continue to clean your infant's gums after feeding. Once a tooth comes in, start to use
a child's soft bristled toothbrush, with no toothpaste, in addition to massaging the gum
tissues.
● To relieve the symptoms of teething, give your infant a clean teething ring or cold wet
washcloth. Cold temperatures are soothing, so you may want to chill the teething ring.
17. ● Begin to wean your baby from the bottle as your infant begins to eat more solid foods
and drinks from a cup. Gradually, begin to offer a cup for water or juice. By age 12 to
14 months, most children can drink from a cup. Promote healthy habits now by limiting
the frequency and amount of sweetened beverages and foods you give your child. Do
not allow your baby to walk around with his/her bottle.
● Be familiar with the normal appearance of your child's gums and teeth. Regularly, lift
your child's lips to check for suspicious small white or brown spots on his/her teeth. If
you see these white or brown spots, which may indicate dental decay (cavities),
schedule an appointment with your dentist right away.
● Schedule your child's first dental appointment. Your child should have an exam by a
dentist before his/her first birthday or within 6 months after the first tooth comes in.
18. Pigeon Training ToothBrush
Pigeon Training toothbrush is one of the
best baby toothbrushes for getting in the
habit of properly holding the toothbrush
and inserting it into the mouth. Its bristles
are soft to help clean your baby's teeth and
gums delicately. The baby can easily hold it
because of the soft textured grip and to
prevent choking, a safety shield can be
attached. Ideal for the babies aged 6-8
months. This product is also available in
lesson 1-2-3 Set.
19. Pigeon’s Tooth Gel
Start healthy oral care early with Pigeon
Baby Toothgel. Specially formulated for
babies 6 months or older with 100% food
grade ingredients, this toothgel is gentle
and safe, while helping to keep baby’s
tooth and gum clean and healthy.
20. 12 to 18 months of age:
By the age of one, your child should have an oral examination by a dentist.
● Continue to brush your child's teeth twice a day with plain water
● Regularly, lift your child's lips to check for suspicious small white or brown spots on
his/her teeth. If you see these white or brown spots, which may indicate dental decay
(cavities), schedule an appointment with your dentist right away.
● If your child has not seen a dentist for their first dental exam, schedule an
appointment.
● Continue to take steps to avoid passing decay causing germs to your child.
21. 18 months to age 5:
By 30 months of age, all of the primary (first) teeth should have come into the mouth. By
age 3, most toddlers should have stopped using the pacifier and/or sucking his/her thumb.
● At age 2, begin brushing with a pea-sized amount (small smear) of fluoridated
toothpaste. Teach your child to spit out the toothpaste. Observe to insure that your
child does not swallow the toothpaste.
● Begin to teach your child how to brush his/her teeth. Generally, children will need help
with brushing until they have the hand coordination to clean their own teeth
effectively. Children should be able to brush unsupervised by the age of six or seven.