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Dr. Jessica Round has kindly agreed to be our first interviewee for Head of the Hive, and answer questions relating to your baby, toddler or pre-schooler's teeth. These include tips on how to nurture a healthy relationship with your child's dentist, and how to encourage good oral hygiene in your household.
When should I first take my child to the dentist and why is it important to take them from a young age?
I just want to highlight the importance of taking little ones to the dentist as soon as their first tooth erupts!
But why?! You may be thinking surely the dentist doesn’t do much at this age. However, here are the key reasons:
✴Acclimatisation. So that your child feels familiar and confident.
✴Advice. So we can discuss tooth brushing, dietary advice, dental habits and teething.
✴Assessment. To check on dental development. We can also make sure that we give extra care to those who have a higher risk.
✴Family ethos. Set a good example.
✴Access. Being registered with a dentist means that if you do have any problems or emergencies, you will have someone to call.
When should I start cleaning their teeth?
Start brushing teeth as soon as the first tooth erupts.
How often should I clean their teeth, and for how long?
You should clean last thing at night and on one other occasion. Brush for 2 minutes.
What toothbrush should I buy? How much toothpaste is recommended?
For little ones, a small head with flat bristles.
A: This toothbrush shows a FLAT SMEAR of toothpaste 1000ppm of fluoride for ages 0-3 years old.
B: This toothbrush shows a PEA SIZED amount of 1350ppm and 1500ppm for children aged 3-6 years old.
C: This is what my husband thinks our kids need 😡
Note:
Babies can’t spit out any excess and you DO NOT want them swallowing lots of toothpaste.
Babies have tiny mouths so there is less to clean.
My child won’t let me clean their teeth! Any tips?
Helpful suggestions:
Try a position where your baby is sat on your lap and lean their head back
Distraction - try brushing at bath time when your baby is in a supportive bath seat
Sing a special song to build an association (I think Head of the Hive would like this one)
Role model the behaviour you want to see 😇
Try baby dental wipes as a new texture (not a substitute for toothpaste
Try an electric brush or finger brush
Keep calm 😌
More toddler specific advice:
Keep calm
Happy tone of voice
Share the toothbrushing duty with different care givers
Practice spitting out as they get older, turn it into a game.
Increase the amount of time brushing gradually as they get older and as they have more teeth - aiming for 2 minutes. This can be a mixture of them having a go and you making sure they have brushed everywhere. Brush their teeth for them until they are 7. Teach them to brush using lots of small circles!
This book has come by high recommendation. This is the Amazon description: Earn your Tooth Brushing Badge with Duggee! It's a sunny day and Duggee and the Squirrels are on a lovely walk until they meet a lion with VERY smelly breath! Join your favourite Squirrels as they teach the lion a special song to help him learn how to brush his teeth for two minutes. Featuring all of your favourite characters from the triple BAFTA-winning CBeebies show, this board book story is perfect for reading as part of the morning and bedtime routine with little Hey Duggee fans.
Any tips on how to encourage good oral hygiene in the household?
Set a good example. Model the behaviour you want to see.
Routine. If it’s something that you always do kids will get used to it.
Talk about why we clean our teeth. I tell my kids that we are cleaning away all the naughty bugs in our mouths so they don’t rot our teeth.
How often do you recommend that children visit their dentist?
Children should visit the dentist tomorrow every 6 months. It is free for children if you can find an NHS dentist. Some children will need more help and will need to attend every 3 months for their check ups.
Any tips for parents before they bring their child to the dentist?
As much as we may not want to admit it, Peppa Pig is pretty useful! Familiarising our little ones with the dental environment using their favourite characters as role models is an easy and fun way to do this. Above is a nice book that you can share or there are episodes available on line. Following on from this, I think role play is fun too! You can buy a kids dental kit and take it in turns to be the dentist!
Do you have any recommendations on eating patterns to avoid in order to encourage healthy oral hygiene?
In my opinion, this is so important because despite everything we have just spoken about, if this is not being addressed it will just undo all of that hard work. When I see families with children with decay. I always ask if the children drink squash. The answer is almost always yes! The parents will say, ‘yes but only ‘no added sugar squash’ or ‘yes but a no sugar squash’. I hear this over and over again. I think squash should be poured straight down the sink. When you read the ingredients the first ingredient is fruit juice, which bacteria love! Sugar allows bacteria to thrive and replicate and secrete acid which breaks down our teeth. Furthermore, the fruit juice makes the oral environment acidic which makes bacteria super happy. It’s an absolute win win for the bacteria.
Look at this graph below. If on top of a less than an ideal diet, you are sipping sugary water, you are keeping the oral environment in the red zone.
The Stephan Curve
If you just switch over to water you can be neutralising that acid and keeping in the blue zone more.
Take home message: SWITCH TO WATER!!
What can parents do to encourage a healthy relationship for their child with the dentist?
A good relationship with your dentist will help improve the situation quality of your dental care in so many ways. A fundamental factor in maintaining a healthy relationship with your dentist is repeated dental visits. Over time we will get to know one another and it can be a real pleasure to catch up and find out how you are doing. More specifically, we will get to know your oral health history. This can help us understand how oral disease progresses for you. We will then be able to make better recommendations for your bespoke treatment plan. We will know when to take a more relaxed, conservative approach or alternatively, when a more invasive procedure would be advised. Knowing your family can also help. It is a combination of genetics and family living that can influence your dental health. If parents model a good relationship with their dentist, this can help them develop a positive outlook on getting dental care.
A better relationship will lead to better communication and hopefully you will be more open and honest about your dental health and your concerns. We can start to work as a team! Most of the hard work does need to come from home. Prevention is always better than a cure. There is nothing better than your natural teeth. Trust! Receiving dental work can be a vulnerable and stressful time for many. How many people do you trust to put their hands in your mouth? Getting to know your dentist and understanding that your health and happiness is most important will help you choose the right treatment for you!
Dr. Round at work
If my child develops a fear of the dentist then what do you recommend the parents/guardians do?
Dentophobia (is that even a word?)
1. Help them manage their emotions. Affirm your confidence in them. Ask questions like, ‘how are you feeling about visiting the dentist?’
2. Prepare them for the visit using some of the aforementioned techniques. Do not sugar-coat the experience or lie. This will affect their trust. Afterwards, reward their bravery in a way that is meaningful to them. I never use words like ‘needle’, ‘injection’, ‘pain’. I use words like magic wand, scratch, fuzzy feeling, I say the tooth is going to sleep and will wake up later. I also practice breathing and meditation techniques with children.
3. Maintain consistency with a trusted dentist.
4. Role play at home as discussed earlier. This will normalise what might be an anxiety producing experience.
5. Help your dentist find common ground with your child.
6. Calm yourself. Set a positive mood for your child approaching their appointment.
You can check out Jessica's website here.
For more ideas on how to prepare your toddler for the dentist then please read Head of the Hive's blog post 'TOP TIPS ON HOW TO PREPARE YOUR TODDLER FOR THE DENTIST'.
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