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Whether you’re expecting a child or are a brand new parent, there are so many questions and new routines to develop—including those surrounding oral health. Your baby may not have teeth for a while, but it’s never too early to get prepared for when they do! Although they’ll eventually fall out, baby teeth essentially lay the foundation for adult teeth. When baby teeth are decayed, broken, or missing, it can cause changes to the structure of your child’s mouth and affect the development of their adult teeth and their speech.

With that in mind, here are a few helpful tips to give your child a head start on a healthy smile!

1. Introduce brushing and flossing early.

Brushing should begin as early as possible; in fact, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry advises new parents to start cleaning or brushing their baby’s gums from day one. This should be done after every meal using an infant toothbrush or a soft washcloth soaked in cool, clean water. Flossing should start as soon as your child has two teeth that touch. Making brushing and flossing a part of their routine early gets them used to it and makes it easier for them to establish it as a daily habit later on.

2. Wipe or rinse your child’s mouth after giving them medication.

Baby medicine is very sugary and can contribute to tooth decay if it’s allowed to sit on the surface of your child’s teeth. After each dose of medication, make sure to rinse their mouth out with water or wipe their teeth with a wet washcloth.

3. Introduce hard foods early on.

Giving your child hard foods will help aid their facial development and give added support for their jaw once their teeth come in.

4. Follow bottles of milk with water.

Baby bottle tooth decay is very common among infants. It’s generally caused by drinking milk or sugary beverages in a bottle without cleaning their mouth afterward. To avoid this, give your child some water in a bottle after they’ve had milk, and avoid giving them bottles with sugary beverages.

5. Find a pediatric dentist by age one.

Children should start seeing the dentist at a year old or at the eruption of their first tooth—whichever comes first. Like brushing and flossing, the younger children start visiting the dentist, the sooner they’ll get used to it! Early dental visits are also a great way to ensure your child doesn’t develop dental anxiety—plus, they give our dentists a chance to develop a relationship with your child and understand their unique oral health challenges.

Set Your Child Up for a Lifetime of Healthy Smiles

Maintaining excellent oral health is a lifelong journey and Enamel Dentistry is proud to offer quality pediatric care in Austin and Dallas TX. Whether you’re bringing your infant or toddler in for their first appointment or you have an older child who needs routine or restorative care, you can rely on us to help your family have strong, healthy smiles. To get your child established at our practice, contact the closest Enamel Dentistry location near you or request an appointment online.

Stroll through any drug store, and you’ll find numerous over-the-counter (OTC) teeth whitening products. How do these differ from what’s used at the dentist’s office—and which is better? Isn’t it just easier to whiten your teeth at home?

The Main Difference Between OTC and Professional Teeth Whitening

There are many types of OTC teeth whitening products available, including strips, gels, toothpaste, and bleach kits. While some of these products are pretty good, they all have a much lower concentration of the whitening agent than what’s used at the dentist’s office. You’ll also be applying it to your teeth over a shorter period of time. Essentially, you’ll see less of a change in the appearance of your smile, and it will take much longer.

At Enamel Dentistry, we use a higher-concentrated bleaching gel, which allows us to whiten your teeth by 5-10 shades in a single office visit. It’s much more effective than OTC whiteners! OTC bleaching gels can cause sensitivity and discomfort; we use custom trays and monitor you the entire time to make sure you have a comfortable experience throughout the entire process.

In addition, some OTC whitening products contain charcoal or other substances that can damage your enamel!

What About Convenience?

OTC whiteners are certainly convenient—you just need to grab one off the shelf and use it at home. Believe it or not, professional teeth cleaning can be just as convenient! At Enamel Dentistry, you don’t have to sit in the dentist’s chair to get a whiter, brighter smile. Although that’s certainly an option, we also offer custom take-home whitening kits. While still more effective than OTC products, they’re designed to give you gentler, more gradual treatment than what you’d get with our in-office whitening. This is perfect for patients who’d like a more natural whitening process or don’t have the time for in-office appointments.

Want to learn more about our professional teeth whitening or schedule an appointment? Contact your closest Enamel Dentistry location today!

If your gums start bleeding while you’re flossing, should you keep flossing? Absolutely!

Bleeding while flossing is often a sign that you need to be flossing your gums more thoroughly or frequently—not that they should be left alone. It might sound counterintuitive, but the more you floss, the less your gums will bleed, unless the bleeding is related to physical damage to your gum tissue or a systemic issue. Many patients will stop flossing an area that bleeds, but the best thing to do is to give that area more attention!

Other Reasons Why Your Gums Might Bleed During Flossing

For most patients, simply flossing more often is enough to stop bleeding gums. However, there are several other reasons why your gums could bleed while flossing, including:

• You could be using poor flossing techniques
• You may not be brushing your gums properly while brushing your teeth
• You may have an accumulation of plaque and tartar on your teeth
• You may have had your teeth cleaned recently and had a lot of build-up removed
• You may have gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease

If the bleeding hasn’t gone away within 3-10 days, schedule an appointment to have your dentist check it out. We’ll evaluate your flossing technique and determine whether you may need a cleaning or periodontal care. Gingivitis and gum disease are both very common, but the good news is that they can be reversed in the early stages.

How Often Should You Floss Your Teeth?

Flossing is very important because it can get into areas that your toothbrush bristles can’t. No matter how well you brush your teeth, if you’re not flossing, you’re essentially only cleaning about 50% of your mouth. If you only floss occasionally, your gums will probably bleed because the tissue isn’t used to the stimulation; regular flossing helps the gum tissue become more resilient.

Although some patients floss after every meal, simply flossing once a day will do wonders for your oral health! The best time to floss is typically before you brush your teeth at the end of the day. This will allow the fluoride to make the most contact with your teeth. If you have questions about how to floss your teeth properly, we’d be happy to give you a demonstration!

The bottom line: your gums may bleed from time to time, and generally, it’s not serious. Start flossing more often, and it should go away. But if your gums bleed regularly, it’s time to schedule an appointment with your dentist! Contact your closest Enamel location or book an appointment online.