The Blogfathers

Most people like instant gratification and don’t do well with tasks with no apparent results in the near future. You know those projects which are simple when starting early and keeping a good discipline. Like saving for retirement or living a healthy lifestyle. I find this kind of thinking often apply to my children. One such thing which is coming up second time around for us is brushing teeth. It’s very simple, takes almost no time, avoids painful dentist visits, and will save parents a ton of money. But I still find many parents ignoring this, thinking it doesn’t matter until the toddler years have past.

Taking care of teeth is one of those boring task I find myself interested in. It’s kind of my specialty, to dive into boring areas most people hate. Life insurance, will, computers, teeth, and car seat safety are just some areas where my boring mind like to wander.

Our daughter is 8 months old and now have a couple of those cute teeth. Which means it’s time to start brushing. Too early? It’s never too early. Starting at this early age have no impact on the quality of the teeth but it gives us a chance to create a good habit and keeping it fun. At this stage we’re only brushing for a seconds and she’s mostly playing around with the brush but it’s a good start. We want her to feel comfortable with her parents poking around in her mouth with a brush.

About a year ago I wrote a post at The Blogfathers about brushing teeth. But being reminded about this again doesn’t hurt. If your child is just developing teeth you might want to take a look or go to the American Dental Association for more complete information. But do it soon, find out the facts early on and give your child a good start.

I’m not an expert on teeth but rely on my own (good) experiences in life and my parents advice. Both my parents were dentist’s and have 60 years combined experience in the field. I really like their simple approach to healthy teeth. They were no teeth Nazis, we just brushed twice a day for a couple of minutes, ate snacks at regular intervals, checked our teeth once a year, and ate candy only on Saturdays (a rule I broke often). Those are simple things that will most likely keep your children’s teeth in great shape.

I touched on a few other issues in my old post. Most important is keeping it fun and creating a routine early on. Do whatever you can to keep it interesting. Funny toothbrush, nice tasting toothpaste or singing songs while brushing usually work well. Experiment with flavor of toothpaste, our older son was always sensitive to this.

Brushing is one way of keeping teeth in good shape but it’s just part of the strategy. Another one is eating, or rather feeding. Letting your baby fall asleep on the breast or with a bottle is not a good idea in the long run. The teeth will be bathing in sugar for hours.

Every time you eat something, acid will form in the mouth for about 30 minutes. Eating small snacks, regardless of what they are, is almost a guarantee for caries and many painful dentist visits for your child later in life. Try to keep snacks at intervals a few hours apart.

Sugar is not good for the teeth but I see no reason to be paranoid about the issue. Learn a little about the different foods and how much sugar they have, then use common sense. If you’re one of many who think donuts and chips are super healthy you might want to brush up on your knowledge.

We try to limit candy for Saturdays, we call it Lördagsgodis, and we find it a good way to keep candy at manageable levels but also making it a fun event once a week. Our 3 year old son can pick out whatever candy he wants and eat it the same day. He seems to like the actual experience of being able to chose his own candy more than eating which works out well.

Many parents seem worried about brushing early with fluoride toothpaste. Some think it might be deadly but more are worried about fluorosis, discoloration of the teeth. In my parents life as dentists they have encountered extremely few cases of fluorosis alone and seem puzzled over the worry. That might have something to do with water quality or other external factors but it’s rare that you need to worry about this. But if you have any doubts, contact your pediatrician or dentist.

Our son just turned 3 and was called for a mandatory dental visit. The first visit is routine and very quick but still a great idea for everyone. Your child can get used to seeing a dentist and you will have plenty of time to find a dentist that treats you nice. Which is very important when dealing with children. The dentist should check if the teeth are developing as they should or if actions like braces might be needed later on. A good dentist would also talk a little about eating habits, brushing, and sugar intake at this stage. Even if a parent is aware of these issues, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded.

In case you can’t find inspiration to take care of your children’s teeth you might want to think about finances. Taking care of teeth can be very expensive. All dental care over here is free until age 19 but not everyone is so lucky. Start early and you might avoid ten’s of thousands of dollars, and lots of pain for your child, later in life.

Have a nice weekend!

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