THE HYGIENE MUST BE CURED IMMEDIATELY
It is important to take care of the hygiene of the baby's mouth from the first months of life . In fact, not everyone knows that even milk teeth, if they are not cared for and cleaned carefully to remove any food residue, can become very easily cared for. To the still very young child, the oral hygiene 'operations' can be proposed as a game : the parents delicately pass a piece of water-soaked cloth on the newborn's gums, after each meal and in the evening before going to bed. Instead of gauze, small rubber thimbles can also be used, which are also sold in pharmacies. Starting from one year of age, you can start using a wet toothbrush with soft bristles , without putting toothpaste on it (only around 3 years old does the child learn not to swallow it). 
HOW TO BRUSH CHILDREN'S TEETH?
Dental cleaning begins with the appearance of the first tooth. As long as there are only a few teeth in the mouth, we don't have to use toothpaste, but if 6-8 teeth have already erupted we use children's toothpaste equal to a grain of chickpea. The children enjoy brushing their teeth and we let them do it, but in the end we take the toothbrush and brush their teeth. We remove plaque from the surfaces towards the tongue/palate, lips/face with circular or up and down movements (starting from the gums). As their dexterity develops, we patiently teach them the correct technique . We can check the effectiveness of cleaning with dental plaque revealing tablets . After brushing your teeth, it is recommended to drink only water, while any other food or drink should be excluded.
WHICH TOOTHPASTE TO USE?
Any, but it is important that the child likes the taste of the chosen toothpaste. The fluoride content in children's toothpastes is significantly lower than adult toothpastes, so it is not a problem if children occasionally swallow some; however, one must remember to close the tube well so that they cannot eat it , because 'too much fluoride is bad', and it is true: fluoride in large quantities is harmful to the body. Little ones should not brush their teeth with adult toothpastes, as their fluoride concentration is too high. On the toothbrush we only put a quantity of children's toothpaste the size of a chickpea grain , because at 2-3 years of age - very probably - they still swallow the toothpaste, both because they don't know how to spit it out and because they like the taste. This is not a problem, but we must teach them that toothpaste must be spat out and that the mouth must be rinsed several times.
Extract from the magazine Nascere Mamma | Winter Edition
By Dr. Gianluca Licciardello
Hygienist at the Smile Family dental clinic | Flatness (To) |
