Do we leave it up to chance or do we take steps to achieve that?
Do we worry about the outcome of our babies teeth early on or do we wait till that first Dentist visit?
I am very particular about my hygiene and always felt and feel so should everyone else. I am clear though that this is not the case and everyone is different.
Teeth are extremely important. They are one of the first things you notice in a person and one that contributes to many things you do in life.
Why not care for them from the very start?
When my daughter was a baby one of the things that I noticed were not discussed often or found articles about was how to care for her dental hygiene. Meaning, she drinks milk several times a day how do I clean that residue on her gums and tongue? I read all about bath time, sleep time, nursing time but nothing about the mouth, the gums or tongue.
So me being very into clean teeth, clean mouth and great breath decided to come up with my own solution.
-boiled water
-honey (because it's sticky and sweet)
-q tips (cotton swabs)
-paper towels
The first month of her life I let it slide but second month to first Dentist visit I did the following:
-Twice a day morning and night I would boil some water and place it in a cup to cool down.
-I would grab some q tips (cotton swabs), a paper towel, bottle of honey and set it down wherever was going to be a comfortable spot
-I would go get my daughter either lay her on my bed or on my lap. Wherever she was going to be straight facing me. Also wherever me gently holding her cheeks would be possible.
-I then would proceed to wet a q tip (cotton swab) and swipe it across her gums, top bottom insides and all around her cheeks. I would do this a few times till I didn't see any signs of milk in her mouth.
-Once that part was done, I would take another q tip (cotton swab) dip it in honey lightly and swipe her tongue with it.
-I would then use a small piece of paper towel, wrap it around my pinky, hold her cheeks and swipe her tongue a few times. The paper towel is hard enough to be like a brush but gentle enough to get wet quickly. You can't use tissue because it will fall apart and it breaks off easily in babies mouths, which we don't want.
-I would go over the tongue again with a new paper towel piece and water and all done!!!
Between this trick and only using the pacifier (some call it binky) when absolutely necessary, which to me meant and means as little as possible and in no way shape or form during the time they are asleep.
Do you know how much saliva is accumulating in their mouth? Yuck!
Our early months of so called teeth brushing together was a success, I was very pleased with my daughters baby breath and her mouth was prepped and ready to go when the time came for her first Dentist visit which was right after her first tooth came in.
When you come across an issue that no one has addressed, don't be afraid to try your own method or tweak one that is already out there.
As of today my daughter has perhaps two cavities, if that much has never worn braces, goes to the dentist twice a year and brushes her teeth twice a day.
Great habits start early.
What tricks have you come up with to tackle some mommy and baby issues?
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