Tips for expectant mothers on dental care for their newborn babies

Cavities on teeth or dental caries is an infectious diseases caused by specific bacteria.

These bacteria can colonize the baby’s mouth from the time of birth. So, what can we do to reduce these bacteria in your baby’s mouth?

Did you know that the higher the content of these bacteria in the mother’s mouth, the greater the chance for the babies to have these in their mouth? Hence, the mother’s oral hygiene, gum disease, and frequency of taking snacks- all affect the bacteria in the baby’s mouth.

Hence, the following steps help to reduce your child’s risk for cavities.

1. Maintain your dental health during pregnancy. Brush and floss at least twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. Do regular check-ups and carry out cleaning and filling of cavities if any. All these will reduce the bacterial load in your mouth and hence, in turn, in your baby’s mouth.
2. After the baby is born, make sure you clean his/her gums with a moist clean cloth after each feed.
3. Avoid saliva-sharing behaviors (e.g., sharing spoons and other utensils, sharing cups) so that any bacteria in your mouth won’t be transferred to your baby’s mouth.
4. Cleansing the infant’s teeth should be done as soon as they erupt with a soft toothbrush. Tooth-brushing should be performed for children by a parent twice daily, using a soft toothbrush of age-appropriate size.

Use only a smear amount of fluoridated toothpaste up to 2 years of age.

1. Night-time breastfeeding or bottle feeding increases the risk of cavities. This is because milk sticks to the teeth throughout the night without being washed off, resulting in early childhood caries. So, make sure you wipe your baby’s teeth after each feed with a moist clean cloth even at night. Encourage your child to start drinking from an open cup by 1 year of age rather than a bottle or sippy cup.
2. Frequent intake of sugar-rich foods or drinks as well as sticky foods can increase your child’s risk for cavities. Hence, during the daytime, make sure you clean your baby’s teeth after meals.
3. The first dental visit of your child should be within 6 months of the eruption of the first baby tooth or by 12 months of age, whichever is earlier. During this visit, the pediatric dentist will give you advice on cleaning your baby’s teeth, how to stop any habits like thumb-sucking if present, what to do during teething, etc.