Navigate

How to care for your baby's gums and emerging teeth | Sakra World Hospital
Home Health Care Robotic Surgery Pay Online Sakra Premium Clinic

Toll free Number

1800 202 4969

Emergency

080 4962 4962

Toll Free Number

1800 202 4969

Book an Appointment

080 4969 4969
Home
About Us
About Sakra Vision, Mission & Values Sakra Brand Quality & Safety Sakra Advantage Virtual Tour
Centres and Specialities
INSTITUTES OF EXCELLENCE
SPECIALITIES
Spine Surgery Internal Medicine ENT and Head Neck Surgery Cancer and Blood Disorders Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Dentistry Clinical Psychology Cosmetology Obesity Surgery Lab Medicine Sakra Home Health Care
Endocrinology Diabetes Thyroid and Osteoporosis Endocrinology Diabetes Thyroid and Sports Diabetes Dermatology Psychiatry Ophthalmology Radiology and Imaging Critical Care Medicine Interventional Radiology Interventional Pain Medicine Blood Transfusion Emergency Medicine Breast Surgery Anaesthesia Aesthetic Surgery
Patient Care
Patient Information Patient Friendly Approach Patient Support Services TPA & Insurance Emergency Services Financial Assistance Program Covid 19 Awareness
International Patients
Why Sakra Why India Accomodation Billing, Insurance & Payments International Testimonials
Wellness Zone
Health checkups Blogs Patient Testimonials Rx Videos
News & Events
News Events Press Releases
Medical Courses
DNB Neuro Course Emergency Medicine Course shoulder Course Knee Course
Nursing Careers Blogs Annual Clinical Report Organ Transplant Authorization BMW Report
  1. Home
  2. Sakra Blog

Sakra Blog

Find a Doctor Take an Appointment Book a Health Check-up

31

October, 2018

How to Care for Your Baby's Gums and Emerging Teeth

how to brush baby teeth

There’s nothing more heartwarming than a baby’s toothless grin. Except maybe the smile of a baby with healthy teeth and gums. After all, just because we call them ‘baby teeth’ doesn’t mean they don’t require dental care.

All babies are actually born with a complete set of these baby or ‘milk’ teeth. These early teeth are present within the gums and start to appear when the baby is about 6 to 10 months old, sometimes earlier and sometimes later. Hence it is very important to take good care of your baby’s gums.

How to keep your baby’s gums healthy?

Gums or gum pads are generally one of the most commonly neglected areas in terms of hygiene in babies, owing to assumptions of  ‘no teeth so no need to clean’.  On the contrary, it’s very important to keep them clean and healthy. Wiping them with a piece of gauze or muslin cloth dipped in plain water will help in wiping away any milk or food debris stuck on to the gums. Clean gum pads and good oral hygiene right from the beginning will ensure a positive environment for the erupting teeth in a later stage. 

What should you know about your baby’s first tooth?

Your baby’s first tooth can erupt anytime as early as 6-7 months or as late as 12-13 months. There is no ‘exact’ age that can be decided for the eruption of the first tooth and it will vary from one child to other.

Most often it will be the lower front teeth that will first appear in the mouth. During this period of eruption, there is a chance your child may show signs of irritation, frequent desire to bite things, putting hard objects into the mouth, redness of the gums, thumb-sucking, gum rubbing, rashes, etc. There can be loss of appetite, crying, increased salivation, drooling, irritability, wakefulness. This is normal and is referred to as teething. Give your child something cold to bite on, like a cold carrot or teething rings that are commercially available, but make sure that these toys are cleaned and sterilized before and after every use.

It is very important to keep the mouth clean at all times at this stage to prevent germs from staying in the mouth or travelling to the stomach. As soon as the first tooth erupts, you can start the brushing process. Parents should brush their child’s teeth twice a day with a soft, age-appropriate toothbrush and gentle toothpaste designed for infants and toddlers.

It would be ideal to visit a paediatric dentist at this age, as they will be able to guide you through the correct way of keeping your child’s mouth healthy. Remember that it is always better to initiate preventive procedures early on, rather than going through reparative procedures later due to neglect at this stage.

Another important thing to be aware of is that sometimes your child may be born with a tooth in the mouth or a tooth may appear within the first 2-3 months. In such a scenario, contact a pediatric dentist as soon as possible and they will guide you through the caretaking process.

7 signs that your child has a dental infection

The occurrence of cavities in children is considered a disease called EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES. Signs and symptoms include:

1. The appearance of dark colour on the tooth (brown or black).
2. Sensitivity/pain on chewing food or eating sweet foods.
3. Severe toothache, toothache at night.
4. Swollen gums, small pus-filled swelling near the tooth on the gums.
5. Not allowing you to brush his/her teeth due to sensitivity, weakening or chipping of teeth.
6. Inability to eat, refraining from eating hard food items
7. In severe cases, fever with swelling restricts normal functions of the mouth.

Remember that a child will not be able to express discomfort like an adult; therefore it is the responsibility of the parent to carefully note for any of the above changes at an early stage and bring it to the dentist’s notice.

Decay in children is not only because of sweets or chocolate. Consistent oral hygiene measures can avoid all kinds of dental infection.

Few things you may not know about paediatric dentistry

Paediatric dentistry is a branch of dentistry that is dedicated to providing care for children from infancy to adolescence. We also cater to children with any special healthcare needs.

Paediatric dentistry aims at providing preventive oral health care, to prevent cavities from occurring in the delicate milk teeth so that your children can grow into adults with a strong permanent set of teeth.

A lot of dental problems such as malalignment of teeth can be identified at an earlier age by the paediatric dentist and can be corrected early and the future need for braces or severity of orthodontic treatment may be reduced.

Since paediatric dentists are specially trained in handling children, the type of treatment and management of the patient in the clinic is very different from adults. We understand that kids are not merely ‘small adults’ and need a special kind of care. We also understand your concern as a parent and do our best to reassure and guide parents on good oral hygiene for their child.

 

Related Blogs

Sakra Centre of Excellence

Neurosciences

Cardiac Sciences

Orthopaedics

Obstetrics and gynaecology

Renal Sciences

Rehabilitation Sciences

Pediatrics and Pediatric Superspeciality

Sakra Specialities

Spine Surgery

Internal Medicine

ENT and Head Neck Surgery

Cancer and Blood Disorders

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Respiratory Medicine

Rheumatology

Dentistry

Clinical Psychology

Endocrinology Diabetes Thyroid and Osteoporosis

Endocrinology Diabetes Thyroid and Sports Diabetes

Dermatology

Psychiatry

Ophthalmology

Radiology and Imaging

Critical Care Medicine

Interventional Radiology

Interventional Pain Medicine

Blood Transfusion

Emergency Medicine

Breast Surgery

Anaesthesia

Aesthetic Surgery

Lab Medicine

Cosmetology

Obesity Surgery

Patient Care

Patient Info

Sakra Advantages

Patient Friendly Approach

Emergency Service

Patient Support Service

Insurance Policy

International Patients

Why Sakra?

Why India?

Accommodation

Billing, Insurance & Payments

International Testimonials

Wellness Zone

Health Check-up

Quality and Safety

Sakra Testimonials

Sakra Blogs

News and Events

CME and Conferences

Organ Transplant Authorization

BMW Report

Sakra

About Sakra

Quality & Safety

Contact Us

Sitemap

Career

Pay Online

Virtual tour

BMW report

Sitemap

Patient policy

Privacy Policy

Disclaimer
Contact Us
scam alert