Infant Dental Health
Finding a dental home for your child by age 1 is the beginning to helping your child establish healthy dental habits, optimal oral health, and decrease their chances for developing dental anxiety. Your child’s primary teeth are essential for proper chewing, eating and even speech development.
To practice early dental care, we recommend cleaning your infant’s gums with cloth or a soft infant toothbrush, daily. Once you see teeth erupting, you can begin brushing twice, daily. When teething begins, we recommend using a clean teething ring or cold washcloth to help comfort sore gums.
If you have any questions about infant dental health or if you would like to know more about how you can properly care for your infant’s primary teeth, contact us.
Thumb sucking
Thumb sucking is a natural reflex for infants as it provides a sense of emotional security and contentment. Prolonged thumb sucking can affect your child’s bite and position of their teeth and the shape of their face and speech. If the behavior is not corrected, it can also lead to the need for orthodontic treatment. To help your child break the habit, be sure to provide encouragement and positive reinforcement for avoiding the habit. Also, understanding and correcting your child’s stresses can help eliminate the behavior. If you are unsure about how to correct thumb sucking or would like to know more information, please give us a call to set up a consultation. We would be happy to provide you with more solutions for how to break the habit.
Extractions
An extraction is the removal of a tooth. Since primary (“baby”) teeth are very important in your child’s development, every effort is made save them. If they are deeply decayed and must be removed, Dr. Corns may recommend a device to maintain the space until the permanent tooth comes in.
Mouth Guards
Mouth guards help prevent trauma to your child’s teeth during high risk activities. If your child participates in contact sports, it is recommended that he/she wears a mouth guard.
Certain mouth guards also protect patients from grinding their teeth in their sleep. These guards are often called “night guards”. This grinding habit is referred to as “bruxism” and can lead to headaches. It can be a result of TMJ temporomandibular joint disorder.
There are many kinds of mouth guards made of a variety of materials. Our dentist can provide a custom fitting mouth guard or night guard to protect your child’s smile. Be sure to ask our dentist about mouth guard options for your child.