Fluoride: Start Early
Ask us or your pediatrician to prescribe daily fluoride tablets for your child or daily fluoride drops for your infant. Store the fluoride in a safe place – treat it as medication. The dosages are as follows:
Infants to 2 years …………0.25mg of fluoride daily (drops)
2 to 3 years old ……………0.5mg of fluoride daily (tablets)
3 to 14 years old ………….
1.0mg of fluoride daily (tablets)
Baby Teeth: Very Important
It is very important to keep baby teeth healthy even though they eventually “fall out” to be replaced by permanent teeth.
- Growth: The bones of the jaw grow with the progressive eruption of baby teeth. Without them permanent teeth may be more crowded, crooked, even blocked out from erupting at all.
- Speech: Presence of front teeth is especially important for a young child learning how to speak in order to properly pronounce many sounds (th, s, f, etc.).
- Eating: Baby teeth are important for a child’s ability to chew and properly digest their food. Nutrition is extremely important during the growing years.
- Appearance: A child’s self-image (especially ages 4 to 7) is important in his or her development. Loss of teeth can make a child very self-conscious.
Bottle Mouth Syndrome:
“Bottle Mouth Syndrome” is characterized by decay of the upper front teeth caused by prolonged exposure to sugars and acids. To prevent this condition, avoid giving your child any sugary liquid in his or her bottle especially at nap-time and bed-time. This includes fruit juices, soda and even cow’s milk. Get your child used to water in the bottle, which will not harm their teeth.
Dental Care:
- At Home: It is important to remove the plaque from the child’s teeth daily. Start from their first tooth. You can wipe the tooth clean with a wash cloth at bath time and lead into brushing as the child grows.
- Professional Care: It is recommended that your child visit us starting at about 2 to 3 years of age.
