Your kid's baby teeth are only temporary, but that doesn't mean you can ignore them when it comes to oral care. Starting out with good habits at a young age will help ensure that those habits continue well into when their adult teeth come in. Here are some things you can avoid doing to promote better oral health for your kid.

Do Not Give Them a Bottle Right Before Bed

You should not get into the habit of bottle feeding your kid before they go down to sleep. If you do, be sure to clean their teeth afterward. While it may be fine when they are an infant and do not have teeth, their teeth will come in and need to be cared for.

You can clean their teeth using a moist, soft rag. Just run it over their teeth right after drinking their bottle, especially before they go to bed. Sleeping gives your kid an extended time period where bacteria can grow in their mouth.

Once their teeth come in, use a tiny amount of kid friendly toothpaste to brush their teeth. Just use enough toothpaste that resembles the size of a pea. The small amount will prevent your child from swallowing a large amount of fluoride in the toothpaste

Do Not Let Them Chew on Ice

An older kid can get into the habit of chewing on ice. Not only does this not have any nutritional value, but it is bad for their teeth and can cause damage. Some signs that they have already caused damage include complaints about cold or hob beverages being painful when they drink them. If your kid insists on chewing on something, recommend sugarless gum instead.

Do Not Give Them Cough Drops

The logical thing to do when your kid has come down with a bad cough is to have them suck on cough drops. Unfortunately, cough drops are filled with sugar that can cause cavities. The hard nature of cough drops can cause their teeth to become damaged as well, especially if they chew on them instead of suck on them.

If you do want to give your kid cough drops, remind them that they need to brush when they are done with them. You will also want to tell you kid why cough drops can be bad for their teeth so that they are aware of why they need to brush afterwards.

To learn more about these and other tips, contact a local pediatric dentist.

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