Oral Hygiene For Your Baby: Do's And Don'ts

Team AckoFeb 8, 2024

It goes without saying that oral hygiene for your baby is very important and it becomes even more important to take care of them at an early age as teeth are for a lifetime. It becomes the parents’ responsibility to take care of their child’s oral hygiene but it becomes really tricky if you are not careful because the gums and teeth of children are very delicate and if not taken care properly can create trouble for them all their life. Hence, here are the dos’ and don’ts of oral hygiene for your child. 

Oral hygiene for your baby: Do's

Some tips to maintain your baby's oral care

Brush lightly

Use your finger to clean your baby’s mouth. Lightly and gently rub on the gums. Avoid using a brush for your baby as the bristles can cause their gums to bleed.  For a toddler use brushes that are available for toddlers and brush their teeth lightly in circular motions to avoid hurting their gums.

Use Drinking Water to Cleanse

Instead of using tap water or mouth cleansers use drinking water for your child, as the chances are they don’t know how to gurgle and may end up swallowing it. Hence, it is suggested to use drinking water that you are currently providing your child to cleanse his mouth. 

Brush twice

Gums or teeth, it is always good to brush twice a day, before going to bed at night and after waking up in the morning. Do that for your child as well to keep them healthy and his mouth free from bad breath.

Dentist visits

It is also important to take your child to the doctor monthly to know your child’s oral health. You can also talk to your doctor about the practices of oral health you are using for your child.

Keep an eye on eating habits

It is very important that you keep an eye on the eating habits of your child. Monitoring his eating habits can reduce tooth decay and other oral health problems.

Inculcate good oral hygiene habits

Explain the importance of good oral hygiene habits to your child and encourage him to practice it regularly for best oral health care.

Teething period woes

A child who is teething gets a very bad habit of putting everything in his mouth to ease the discomfort of teething. Instead of putting anything randomly that can hurt the baby’s gum, use clean teething rings and toys available on the market. You can also rub a clean finger around the gums to soothe the discomfort. 

Encourage healthy food

Encourage healthy food habits in your child like organic and natural food while cutting back on unhealthy and junk food that can potentially lead to tooth decay and cavities to appear at an early stage. 

Oral hygiene for your baby: Don’ts

Don'ts to keep in mind for your baby's oral hygiene 

Bottle decay

Don’t put your baby to sleep with a bottle of juice or milk in his mouth, it not only raises concerns of choking but also leads to tooth decay and problems in the gums. 

Eye on the sugar

Keep an eye on your child’s sugar intake, sugary liquids lead to bacteria formation in the mouth which leads to cavities. 

Control on the Sippy cup

Sippy cups if used very regularly can lead to distortion of the dental structure as well as tooth decay. Hence, control the use of the Sippy cup and don’t let him end up with a bad habit. 

Discourage thumb sucking and pacifiers

As much as it soothes your child after an age like when your kid is of 2-3 years discourage him from thumb-sucking and getting hooked on pacifiers. This distorts the dental structure of the child, leading to uneven teeth, uplifted frontal teeth, etc. 

Cut back on juices and artificially sweetened drinks

Cutting on artificially sweetened drinks and juices can help avoid tooth decay; this is unhealthy not only for children but adults equally. These drinks are not good for your oral health or your overall health and cutting back on these can help prevent a lot of oral health problems.

Milk teeth versus permanent teeth

Both are equally important, you cannot cut slack in taking care of either. A problem in your baby’s milk teeth can go to the gums and affect his permanent teeth as well. Hence, do not compare the two but rather take care of them equally. 

Avoid sour food

Foods like tamarind and raw mangoes are sour and make your child’s teeth too sensitive which can lead to discomfort and damaged teeth in the long run. 

Too cold

Some kids end up on ice chewing a lot; this can hurt teeth and gums, and in the long run make your child’s teeth very sensitive. 

Hence, these are few of the do's and don’ts of oral hygiene for your baby that you can practice for the best oral health care of your child. 

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.