Caring for your toddlers mouth - This is the way we brush the teeth, brush the teeth, brush the teeth......

Hi and welcome to my blog. So...moving up the age range, we go on to discussing caring for toddlers oral health.


My last blog covered babies up until around 1 year. Once they get mobile things change dramatically!

New teeth

As mentioned before, infants teeth from around 6 months up until 18 months - 2 years. They have 20 baby teeth - us dental people call them deciduous. These teeth play an important role in the development of our jaw so it is really worth keeping them clean, healthy, and in the mouth until they are meant to fall out.

Thumb sucking and soothers

Many babies start to suck their thumbs in the womb. Two of my three did. The other had a soother from around 6 weeks. Make sure your soother is orthodontic and ideally BPA free. I will write another blog on how to get them off the dummy and thumb sucking soon!

Trauma

As soon as they start to walk, they start to bump into things and fall spectacularly! Both my boys damaged their front teeth as toddlers, one on a roundabout at the park, one on the door edge. And so I thought a few warnings and first aid tips would be useful for you.
They love to run at this age so don't let them run with any objects in their mouth and do not let them brush unsupervised. I have seen a few traumas from a pencil or toothbrush in the mouth when running and it is not fun for anyone.
If they do bump their teeth, four things could happen.

1. They chip or damage the tooth. If it is only a small chip it may only feel rough and not cause too much of a problem. Rhien was lucky and that was all that happened to him. If it is a bigger chip or fracture, it could expose a more sensitive part of the tooth and cause pain. Then it is a trip to the dentist to have some material put over the tooth area to stop the sensitivity.

2. They move the teeth in the mouth - this is what poor Aidan did when I was home alone with them first day back from hospital after having Josie. Nothing like a crisis to get you used to juggling 3! He was a thumb sucker - covered later -  so automatically sucked his thumb and pushed them back in to position. we had them checked by our lovely dentist and there was no visible fracture so we kept a close eye. They went grey - this happens if the nerve dies inside, not pretty but not harmful - and fell out naturally at the right time with no intervention. Again, always worth a trip to get checked out and reassured by the dentist.

3. The tooth comes completely out. This doesn't happen that often with baby teeth but if it does then the best thing to do is grab some milk and pop it in it and get to the dentist immediately. If the person is old enough, the best thing they can do is  suck on the tooth and try to place it back - gross but effective - as the tooth needs moisture from our mouth to stay alive. If that is not possible, milk is still good. Do not wash it or let the tooth dry out.

4. It bleeds. A lot. The mouth has a lot of blood vessels near the surface and this means that any injury usually results in a large bleed out quickly after trauma. Applying a little pressure with clean gauze or muslin can reduce the flow and stop the child being stressed by seeing that amount of blood. Using a little cool pack can help reduce the swelling that often comes with these types of injury.

The good news is the mouth is made of tissue that is really good at healing so it will be sore but will start to heal well within a week. Keep foods trauma friendly in that time, with no jaggy things.


Toothpaste

Current recommendations are that you use a smear (rice size) of adult toothpaste when brushing until the child is old enough to spit out the excess, then swap to an adult paste and a pea size amount. Don't teach rinsing after brushing.

Tooth brushing

So we should all be aiming to brush in the morning before eating and once again later in the day. The thought of this can fill a lot of parents with dread. It is like trying to wrestle a bag of cats while attempting to write neatly and perform a magic trick.

A great tool I mentioned before is the chewable brush and teether which lets baby have a go safely, but you still need to get in there yourself.

I found sitting on the floor, with the child between my legs and their head resting on my stomach, was the easiest way to get the job done. They have less wriggling room, are already on the floor (we all know the dead drop move the little ones do!) and you have a better view - a bit like the dentist or hygienist has in the dental office. I would hold their hands and sort of lock the head slightly and sing, and make a lot of distractions to get the job done. They would cry, almost always. Don't give up, they will thank you for not having holes in their teeth and won't remember it as a bad thing at all -at least that is what my 3 say. This lovely dentist Jenny shows you how to do it really well. In our high-tech world you could use an app like Brush DJ to play a tune on your phone to distract. This might be useful if your singing sounds like that bag of cats!

Toothbrushes

Now you have mastered the gentle headlock, it is good to know which kind of brush is easier for you to use. Up until around 3, it is best to use a manual or manual shaped brush like the baby sonic which has been designed for small mouths. When the child reaches pre school age - 3 onwards you have more options and I will cover that in the next blog.

Diet

Your toddler is an explorer of food at this stage and it is so important for them to enjoy. Almost all of them are grazers, I remember the half eaten rice cakes turning up in the oddest of places, and the cats used to follow behind them hoping for a dropped yoghurt pot.

Drinks - stick to water and milk - don't be tempted by juice - once you start it is really hard to get them to give it up. If they don't know it they won't miss it I promise.

Snacks - avoid dry fruit - super full of sticky sugar - try carrot or cucumber sticks, plain rice cakes - or with a little nut butter, or some cheese sticks.

Keep anything sweet to a minimum - again if they have never had cake they don't know they are missing out - and keep it to mealtimes. Reducing sugar consumption has such a huge impact on their overall health, not just the teeth.

First trip to the dentist

Believe it or not, dentists can be a really fun place for a small child to visit. And most of us dental people are keen to make it a great experience for them.

Book them in around 18 months - you can register them before that in case of trauma - and don't book them at the same time as you or another sibling. You know how short that attention span is! Usually the dentist will make it fun, about a ride in the chair, usually on your lap, and have a quick check over of the teeth while introducing them to a dental mirror and the surgery. Most surgeries have stickers or a balloon for the first visit so the child leaves feeling positive. Even if you are not keen on the dentist, take them. It is free, and one of the best gifts you can give them for life.

Next blog is about thumb sucking, soothers/dummies and the preschool years. I hope you find this useful and feel free to share with friends.