Dental care is essential for your baby from the moment they are born. Though their primary teeth will only be around for a short while, the children’s dentists at La Crosse Pediatric Dentistry in La Crosse, WI, want you to know the health of these teeth can positively or negatively impact their future adult teeth.

To ensure your baby’s new teeth receive the best care, here are a few tips this dentist office recommends you follow:

• Start Practicing Dental Care Before Teeth Come In Long before your child’s baby teeth starts coming in; you still need to take care of their gums. After every feeding, use a warm washcloth to clean any food and bacteria off of your baby’s gums. While toothpaste is not necessary, this will help your child become more acclimated to having their mouth cleaned and make it easier to transition to a toothbrush later on.
• Avoid Putting Them To Bed With A Bottle: One of the biggest culprits of tooth decay in infants is their baby bottle. Putting your child to bed with a bottle of milk or juice allows sugar to linger in their mouth for hours at a time. The bacteria in their mouth will break down these sugars and turn them into acids. The acids will start eating away at the enamel on their baby teeth and can eventually cause them to fall out earlier than they should.
• Begin Brushing As Soon As Teeth Appear: For most babies, their teeth will start coming in around six months; however, it is not uncommon for children to start seeing their first teeth as late as 18 months. When they do arrive, you should purchase a baby toothbrush and start gently brushing their teeth and gums with a small amount of fluoride toothpaste twice a day.

For more tips on taking care of your baby’s teeth, contact the children’s dentists at La Crosse Pediatric Dentistry today. If it is time for your child to start seeing a dentist, schedule an appointment by calling (608) 782-4054. You can also learn more about their services by visiting them online.