Toddler Dental Health...the learning never stops!

Image from www.dentalchoice.ca

We try and do the best for our children, but there are always these little things that we miss. 

Caring for the teeth of our little ones is both confusing and so important! Teeth generally don`t start appearing until they are almost a year old. So just when we feel have most of it all figured out, we then need to learn a whole new set of dental health rules. And brushing a toddler`s teeth is a bit of a chore. To find the energy, at the end of the night, to deal with a fighting, screaming toddler just because you are brushing their teeth is a challenge. It goes against everything that we have been trying to do to calm them down before bed time so they can go off to sleep. But persevere...it does get better! 

I am not a dentist (or in the dental field), I’m just a mom. I just have been doing some research that I wanted to share with other moms. 

These are a few tips that I learned (and some, hopefully, not too late). 

-You should be transitioning your child from bottle to cup as early as six months (sippy cups should transition out after 12 months) 

-You should not put your child to bed with milk or juice. 

-They should only be drinking water between meal times. 

-You should be using a fluoride toothpaste (although only a pea size). 

And when exactly should you take them to the dentist? 

I have been told that by one year, they should visit a dentist. But I ran into a bit of confusion because my dentist doesn’t see kids until they are three (although there are some toddler specific dentists in town). Luckily I found out that there is a referral available in Kelowna to see a dental hygienist at the Health Center where you get your immunizations. They can check out your child and recommend fluoride varnish if you haven’t been using a fluoride toothpaste. 

I also found out some additional information on this website from the Canadian Pediatric Society, that appears quite helpful. http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/healthy_teeth_for_children 

Happy Teeth Cleaning! 

This blog post can be seen on www.okanagan4kids.com.