Introduction
Our teeth have a special place in our lives. We use them several times a day to chop up what we eat in our mouth and prepare it for digestion in the stomach. In order for this to work as long as possible and without complications, pain or dentures with our own teeth, we have to care for our teeth at least twice a day.
This care does not only apply to adults and children, but starts from the moment the first milk tooth is visible in the baby. The teeth of babies and children are very susceptible to caries and bacteria due to their structure (softer and thinner enamel). Therefore, special attention must be paid to early and thorough oral hygiene.
The milk teeth serve as space maintainers for the permanent teeth that break through afterwards. If the milk teeth have to be removed early, the permanent teeth may be misaligned due to lack of space. In order to avoid this, the first visit to the dentist should take place between the sixth and eighth month of life. During this time the doctor can get an overview of the existing tooth and jaw conditions and the children get to know the speech and treatment room at the same time without having bad experiences.
When should I start brushing my teeth?
Brushing must be done as early as possible to avoid possible damage to the milk teeth. On average, the first milk teeth break through in a baby at about 6 months of age. As soon as you discover a broken milk tooth in your child, the time has come to take care of your protégé’s dental care.
At this age the enamel is still relatively thin and therefore more susceptible to caries. Therefore, thorough cleaning should be started immediately after the first tooth has erupted. Even babies and toddlers absorb various types of sugar at the beginning of their lives, which leads to the development of caries.
These can be found in various children’s juice spritzers or in baby food. Breast milk also contains sugar in the form of lactose. So as you can see, almost every food intake at this age also poses a small danger to the still young teeth.
The assumption of some people that brushing their milk teeth is less important because they fall out anyway is fundamentally wrong. Another reason for the early start of oral hygiene is that children get used to brushing already in infancy and later it is easier to motivate children to brush their teeth. It is then already part of the morning/evening routine, so to speak.
Some experts also recommend preparing babies for brushing their teeth. This is done by stroking the upper and lower jaws with a damp cloth/fingerling. This is to encourage the baby’s willingness to brush after the first tooth has broken through.
