Even though baby teeth are temporary, they are still important and susceptible to cavities and other dental problems. They also influence how adult teeth will form.
Even though baby teeth are temporary, they are still important and susceptible to cavities and other dental problems. They also influence how adult teeth will form.
YOUR ORAL HEALTH
Be aware of your own oral health. Get regular checkups & cleanings before the baby arrives to minimize the number of bacteria in your own mouth.
If you do have cavities, avoid sharing food, testing/blowing on foods, and avoid kissing your baby’s mouth, hands/feet that go into your baby’s mouth.
Use separate utensils at dinnertime to minimize the transfer of germs.
Kissing a baby is a natural & instinctual behavior I know it’s hard to avoid sharing saliva, so it’s all about prevention to balance the risk!
Avoid sugars in their diet & never let them sleep with the bottle.
NEWBORN: INFANT ORAL CARE
Start early to establish good habits & make brushing easier in the future!
Wipe the gums/cheeks/tongue with a wet washcloth or gauze after feeding.
Breastfeeding is hard enough for moms, so wiping the mouth after a feeding can be a burden.
Instead, we focused on different ways to introduce the concept of “brushing” by massaging the gums while Faith was teething — wiping the gums or using a cloth, gauze or a finger brush gets the baby used to you putting a brush in their mouth. This will be important if your baby has sensory issues as Faith did! The sooner you start the better.
BREASTFEEDING & ORAL HEALTH
Breastfeed without fear of affecting your child’s dental health.
Once your baby has teeth AND starts solids, then it becomes even more essential to keep the teeth clean.
If you missed wiping the mouth or brushing the teeth during the day, then make sure there is no food left on the teeth at night before sleeping.
Create a balance by limiting sweet & sticky foods in the diet to prevent decay.
PACIFIERS
Non-nutritive sucking is normal in infants.
Dentally, the pacifier is preferred over using a bottle with milk (that can cause cavities) or thumb-sucking or finger ( as these are harder habits to break).
My daughter stopped the pacifier at 3 months but sucked her fingers once we weaned. We made the conscious decision to let her continue when sleeping. It was hard to keep her fingers out of her mouth once we left the room at night.
When Should I Introduce a Pacifier?
It’s a good idea to wait until your baby has mastered breastfeeding before introducing a pacifier. Because breastfeeding and pacifiers use different sucking motions, implementing one too soon may cause nipple confusion and prevent a proper breastfeeding latch.
Try introducing a pacifier around the one-month mark, provided your baby is gaining weight and appears to be doing well with breastfeeding. If your baby is still having issues with breastfeeding at this age, hold off on introducing the pacifier to prevent confusion. If you’re finding it too difficult to hold off, search for a pacifier that’s designed to have a similar feel to breastfeeding.
Pacifiers are nipples that babies can suck on, they differ from baby bottles because they aren’t used for feeding — they are solely used for soothing and comfort.
If you have a baby who won’t stop crying, a pacifier can be one of the best options for providing comfort. If your baby continues to suck on a bottle even after it’s empty or seems to suckle your breast without any intention of drawing milk, they might find a pacifier comforting.
The same is true if you see them sucking their fingers or toys. Faith sucked both her fingers and her thumb. I was so fixated on not wanting her to suck her thumb I never re3ally paid attention to her fingers. She sucked them until she was twelve.
If your baby is generally content between feeds and doesn’t seem to have an extra need to suckle, there’s no need for a pacifier.
How to Choose the Best Pacifier
Pacifiers vary in size, style. and nipple shape.
These are the factors we considered for deciding what is the best pacifier.
Size: Pacifiers are generally sized by age, with recommendations posted on the package. Usually, the breakdown is for 0–6 months, 6–18 months, and 18+ months.
This is important because a pacifier can be a choking hazard if it is not the correct size. The baby’s lips should only be on the nipple, not the shield. They need to be able to suck swallow and breathe.
Nipple material: Pacifier nipples are usually made of silicone or latex. Latex is generally softer, but some babies may have latex allergies, so you should watch for reactions upon early usage.
Silicone is the more popular choice for pacifiers, and it can also be cleaned in the dishwasher.
The shield: The shield is what stops your baby from sucking the pacifier fully into their mouth, which is a choking hazard. It needs to be big enough to prevent that from happening.
A good benchmark is that the guard should be 1.5 inches or bigger. You will need to experiment with size and shape for your baby’s needs.
Advantages of Using Pacifiers
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states that when used correctly, it’s perfectly fine to give your baby a pacifier.
One of the biggest advantages of using pacifiers is that they could potentially save your child’s life. Studies have shown that babies who use pacifiers while they are sleeping are at a lower risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrom), with some studies saying the risk may be decreased by up to 90 percent.
These are some other advantages of pacifiers:
They can soothe and distract babies during vaccinations: They’re painful and the effects can be felt sometimes for a few days. Pacifiers can help with soothing.
They may help your baby fall asleep: If you have a baby who fights sleep, pacifiers can help them drift off while reducing crying. They help babies learn to self-soothe, especially breastfed babies who get a lot of comfort from their mother’s breast.
They’re good for travel: Pacifiers are perfect for helping babies feel more comfortable in the car or on airplanes. The sucking motion may help their ears pop, which can reduce crying.
Disadvantages of Using Pacifiers:
If your little one continues to use the pacifier past her second birthday, there may be dental implications. They may develop what is known as an open bite, which can lead to tooth and oral development complications caused by using a pacifier for too long.
To reduce the risk of future dental problems, wean your baby’s pacifier habit by the time they are two years old.
There are other disadvantages too:
They accumulate germs and bacteria: Babies are constantly dropping pacifiers, and often they do it when they are away from home and there is no good way to clean them. I’ve seen parents put the pacifier in their own mouths as a way to clean them. But you risk introducing additional bacteria from your mouth to theirs.
Weaning your baby from pacifiers can be hard: It can take months to break the habit. The process is often rough on babies and on parents who have come to rely on the pacifier to soothe.
Heavy pacifier use might lead to a bigger risk of ear infections: Some studies have linked pacifiers to ear infections, a common problem in babies. To reduce your baby’s chance of ear infections, limit their pacifier use to times when they are trying to get sleep.
WHEN BABY TEETH COME IN
When your baby’s teeth first come in, it’s an exciting milestone. It is also a big transition. Be patient and have grace for yourself as you & your child navigate this new stage together.
TIPS:
Experiment with different toothbrushes & toothpaste flavors and positions when brushing, sitting, or standing behind them, in front of them, laying them back on your lap. Whatever works there is no right way. The important thing is to get all of the surfaces inside and out
It’s normal if your baby cries when brushing, they may be scared or uncomfortable when exposed to new things. My daughter had sensory issues. It took me years to figure out she did not like certain tastes and textures. I ended up not using toothpaste until she was six and it made brushing so much better.
Every new parent (including us dental parents!) has bad days some days you just can’t brush 2x/day.
First, focus on nighttime brushing while you are establishing your baby’s brushing routine to remove all of the things you put in the baby’s mouth during the day that may be on the teeth during bedtime.
If you are uncomfortable with using fluoride, either wipe away the excess or try a toothpaste with hydroxyapatite until your child can spit around~age 3. Or don’t use toothpaste at all. We did not use toothpaste for three years
TEETH ERUPTION TIPS:
Every child develops at their own pace. It’s normal to see teeth early, some babies even have them at birth! & it’s normal to get teeth late. My daughter was 13 months old before she got her first tooth.
Try not to compare your baby with your friend’s or other family members’ babies.
I get you may be anxious for the teeth to come in as soon as the baby starts to drool around 3 months.
Teething itself is already stressful enough of a process. It takes time. Don’t forget to give yourself some love too!
BABY TEETH ALSO KNOWN AS PRIMARY TEETH:
Start developing week 6 in utero.
At around 3 months, your baby may have increased saliva and may frequently put their hands in their mouth, and start to drool, but this does not necessarily mean your baby is teething.
At around 6 months your baby may start getting their first teeth, and they will continue to get teeth until the age of 3.
Which of your child’s teeth came in first, and when?
ORDER OF TEETH ERUPTION
1️⃣ Two lower central incisors at 6 months, followed by the two upper central incisors by 10 months
2️⃣ Four incisors on the side by age 1
3️⃣ Four back molars by 18 months
4️⃣ Four canines by 20 months
5️⃣ Four more back molars by 30 months
Remember: every child develops at their own pace. This is just a guideline. My daughter was not even close to this. Most babies fall into this timeline.
TEETHING SAFETY TIPS:
If your baby is not eating much, make sure they are hydrated and have wet diapers.
Avoid topical oral medications, especially if they contain “benzocaine”
Avoid amber beads — these are choking hazards
Never leave your baby alone with any teething object in the mouth
If your baby is highly irritable, rule out other things first before blaming “teething”
TEETHING OPTIONS: Here are some of the things that worked for Faith!
Silicone teething toys (ideally ones that can be held by a palmar grasp)
Cold washcloth I used to put a wet washcloth in the freezer
Fruit feeders frozen with pureed veggies & fruits
Gum massage with a silicone finger brush
Teething crackers for distraction
Freezable Nippii pacifier by @gigglebaby
Over-The-Counter-Gel – They did not have this product back then I would have used this Theragel is a wound-healing gel plant bases and safe to swallow
https://arogalife.com/en-us/healthymouth/shop/wound-care
Remember:
Fever, diarrhea, and rash are NOT normal signs of teething; consult your doctor if this happens.
