Dentist San Jose CA Your Baby And Oral Hygiene

If you are a mother who is expecting her first child, then naturally you will be eager to learn as much as possible about baby care. You spend all the nine months in eager anticipation and do not loose even a moment to learn something new that can help you look after your baby better.

Naturally you will read up all the books on pregnancy as well as learn quite a few things from your doctor as well.Perhaps you may have enrolled into a class too and will learn all about infant care too. With all of the reading as well as training chances are that you will be prepared to and know what to expect immediately after the birth of your baby and how to look after the infant in the first few months.

Soon after the baby is born, it is customary for the Paediatrician or the Head nurse to take a thorough inspection of the baby. They also check the mouth and the baby's gums as well as tongue and soft palate for any abnormal growth, nodules, cysts or Epstein's pearls. Many times such growth does disappear after a while. In some rare cases babies are known to have grown natal as well as neonatal teeth within a month after their birth. In such cases the Paediatric Dentist would examine and determine the further course of action whether to retain the teeth or not.

The dental care of the infant would have to be started right after birth as soon as the mother starts nursing the baby. They get to know and follow up only after the doctor points out and tells them about it. The best way to clean the baby's mouth both inside as well as outside is to take a soft cotton cloth, dip it in warm water and then wipe the inside of the gums as well as the outside of the mouth with the piece of cloth after feeding the baby. When left without wiping after nursing the baby's mouth starts to feel sticky and bacteria develop inside the mouth where the stains of milk are lodged in the gums. You should take care to see that the piece of cloth used in cleaning is washed and dried before being used again.

The baby begins to develop baby teeth anywhere after three months up to nine months. The first teeth to erupt are on the lower front. First to erupt are the incisors after which the molars erupt. Following the molars the canines and second molars grow. By the time the baby is around three years old, the baby would have developed around twenty teeth.

If your child begins to get restless, agitated and has no appetite at times you should not worry for this happens when they are teething. In several cases children develop fever, diarrhoea as well as vomiting too.

As a mother you will know when the baby starts sucking thumb and makes it a habit. Usually when the baby is feeling sleepy he or she tends to start sucking the thumb. This habit is considered to be normal by the doctors who say that the babies feel secure with their thumb in their mouth.Normally once the child grows to an age of about 4 to 5 years, they grow out of the habit. If they do not outgrow the habit, then it can cause problems to the growing teeth. The continuation of this habit leads to protruded teeth in children. In such cases you will need to consult the Paediatric Dentist who would be able to help wean the child away from this habit.