Ask a Dentist!
This February, in honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, Sparkler chatted with Dr. Alison Nicholes, a dentist in Hebron, CT, who has been caring for children’s dental health and hygiene for 18 years.
Sparkler: What are some of the big questions you hear from parents of young children?
Dr. Nicholes: I think the biggest questions from parents are usually about timing. Parents wonder when to start brushing and when to schedule first dental visits.
Sparkler: When should brushing start?
Dr. Nicholes: The sooner you start with any sort of dental routine for your children, the sooner they adjust. Dental behaviors are habits that need to be formed and reinforced daily. Wiping a baby’s gums in the evening with a clean washcloth or a very soft introductory toothbrush can help start this process. Once there are teeth, a very soft infant toothbrush is appropriate. I like to advise patients to initially start with a very small amount of non-fluoridated practice toothpaste so a child learns to associate a taste with brushing. The amount of paste should look like a grain of rice to start. When a child masters being able to spit out the paste, you should switch to a paste with fluoride to help strengthen the teeth against decay.
Sparkler: When should children visit the dentist for the first time?
Dr. Nicholes: Sometimes we hear from our patients that their physicians advise children to start at their first birthday. This can be helpful if you need advice about dental care and habits at home. Typically, a child at age two is more successful in a dental visit and for some kids, it will be even a bit older than age two that they will be willing to sit for their first cleaning. Bringing a child to their sibling’s cleaning or even your own can be a great tool for modeling the behaviors needed to have a good visit at the dentist. If your child can’t cooperate for their first cleaning, usually just more time is needed for them to grow and mature. I recommend trying again in six months.
Sparkler: Is there anything parents should do or avoid to support their children’s dental health?
Dr. Nicholes: Parents who model regular dental hygiene at home for themselves have an easier time helping reinforce these habits for their kids. Brushing and flossing your own teeth with your child benefits you both.
Sparkler: What are the guidelines around pacifiers for dental health? Or bottle use?
Dr. Nicholes: In an ideal world, kids would discontinue use of bottles and pacifiers around their first birthdays. This is not what I typically see many families do as there is a lot of stress and anxiety around the loss of these comfort objects. Limiting their use after the first birthday is the best for their dental health. If your child is older and is still working on this, don’t beat yourself up. Start by setting a date in the very near future and work on a plan to being fully pacifier and bottle free.
