During pregnancy, the pregnant mom should not only visit her nurse but should also visit a dentist. This is important for two reasons: 1. to carry out the necessary dental screening and to establish and maintain proper oral hygiene for the expectant mother, and 2. to educate the parents regarding the development of oral care and nutritional habits of the child soon to be born.

With the birth of the child, breastfeeding from the mother’s breast or from a feeding bottle begins. Breastfeeding creates a special relationship between mother and baby, and in addition to reducing postpartum depression, it has another beneficial effect on the development of the baby’s face and teeth, and the development and strengthening of the immune system. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding until the age of six months, followed by mixed breastfeeding supplemented with milky formula until the age of approximately two years. Although breast milk is the most complete food for a baby, since it contains all the necessary nutrients in the right proportion and is easily digestible, we must take into account that it has an extremely high milk sugar content, which is mainly present in the form of lactose. That’s why it’s important to keep your baby’s gums clean after breastfeeding, even before the baby teeth appear! This can be achieved either with a piece of gauze wrapped around your finger, or you can find special textile wipes for cleaning the gums.

After the eruption of milk teeth, we must pay even more attention to the establishment and maintenance of oral hygiene. The advantage of this is, on the one hand, that the baby gets used to being “sucked in the mouth”, so that this situation does not occur unexpectedly during subsequent dental screenings and treatments, and on the other hand, it is important to keep all surfaces of the erupting teeth clean, thereby preventing early baby tooth decay. In the beginning, it is advisable to use a small, plastic “toothbrush” that can be placed on the parent’s finger, with which the parents can brush the baby’s teeth, and by massaging the gums, they can help the baby teeth in the pre-eruption break through faster.

As another option, we can also try a baby toothbrush with a very tiny head and very soft bristles, which – after the parent has brushed the baby’s teeth – we can even put it in the hands of the toddler under supervision for getting to know them over the age of one. However, it is very important that until the age of 6-8 years, brushing should be done under parental supervision, as until then they do not have adequate manual skills and sufficient attention.

In the case of small babies, of course brushing should be done with an “empty” toothbrush, until the child is able to rinse properly. When you are already sure that she will not swallow the children’s toothpaste containing fluoride, you should apply a thinly smeared layer on the toothbrush between the ages of 2 and 5, and a pea-sized amount of toothpaste between the ages of 2 and 5. When buying toothpaste, it is important to check the fluoride content of the toothpaste: 75-150 ppm up to 3 years of age; 250-500 ppm for 3-6 years, 1250-1450 ppm for 6-12 years.

In addition to breastfeeding, of course, baby bottles also appear, which either play a role in feeding the baby, or are used by parents as a means of calming and lulling the small child to sleep. In the latter case, I would warn parents, because if children fall asleep with a bottle containing a sugary drink in their mouth, the milk teeth will be “soaked” in this sugary juice all night, while in the absence of swallowing, gurgling and other physiological movements, the teeth cannot be cleaned mechanically and due to the decrease in the amount of saliva produced, the sugary drink cannot be diluted either. As a result, the so-called early childhood caries, also known as “baby bottle syndrome” or ECC (early childhood caries) develops, which is a very rapid caries that develops in milk teeth. In summary, it is recommended to fill the bottle with water for putting to sleep and calming the child!

In addition to the above, another factor can influence the development and extent of caries in the milk teeth of young children: bacteria found in the parents’ mouths. A specific bacteria responsible for tooth decay is not yet present in babies’ mouths, it only enters the babies’ oral cavity with the parents’ saliva later when they lick a pacifier that has fallen to the ground, or when the babies taste their food. That is why, if possible, clean the dropped pacifiers with water to delay the establishment of the bacteria responsible for tooth decay in the baby’s mouth, since these bacteria break down the sugars in breast milk and form acid, thus causing tooth decay.

In addition to developing the baby’s proper oral hygiene, the first dental examination is also important, after the eruption of the first milk teeth, approx. it is advisable to eat it at the age of one year. In this case, the dentist examines the baby teeth that have already erupted and their condition, checks the baby’s oral hygiene, questions the parents about feeding habits, the frequency of use of the baby bottle and its content. As well as the advantages and disadvantages of pacifiers are discussed during the first consultation. This is when the child gets used to the dental milieu, and the dentist prepares the parents for the children’s various dental “events” and possible accidents.

Regarding the above, we would summarize our advice in the following five points:

1. After breastfeeding, cleaning the gums and teeth that have already emerged with the appropriate tools.
2. When buying children’s toothpaste, be careful to choose the right toothpaste with fluoride content.
3. When using a baby bottle, pour sugar-free drinks (primarily water) into the bottle, especially avoid sugary drinks before going to sleep.
4. Avoid cleaning pacifiers that have fallen on the ground with saliva, instead clean them with water.
5. Visit the dentist around the age of one year and perform the first dental examination.

In summary, we recommend breastfeeding until the age of one to one and a half years, especially due to its many advantages, but it is advisable to start taking care of the baby teeth at the same time as the milk teeth erupt, and to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks to a minimum.

Dr. Babett Toth