Caring for your little one’s teeth can be really hard. Not all kids love to brush and floss, and knowing how to keep their smile healthy is difficult for parents. Especially as you navigate the exhausting world of teething. That’s why I’m so excited to team up with The Bloor Clinic Kids Paediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics for Oral Health Month this April.

With the help of one of their board-certified Paediatric Dentists, Dr. Regina Revuelta Perez, I’m answering 3 Frequently Asked Questions. Plus I’m discussing a very important safety notice for all parents with teething babes, and giving you one of my simple tricks for making teeth brushing fun for the whole family!

1. When Do I Need To Start Cleaning My Baby’s Teeth?

You can begin wiping your babies gums with a cloth (damp with water) wrapped around your finger at a few months old. This gets your baby used to having their mouth cleaned, gets parents in the habit of focusing on baby’s daily oral hygiene, and provides a clean environment for their primary teeth to erupt into. As soon as your baby’s first teeth arrive you should wipe their teeth and gums down with a wet cloth at least twice daily. Eventually you can switch to parent-led brushing with a paediatric size toothbrush (with water), and then supervised child-led brushing. Around 3 years old (or when your child can spit) you can begin using a small amount of toothpaste with fluoride. Even older children, who seem capable of brushing their own teeth, should be supervised and assisted to ensure all surfaces of the teeth are being cleaned properly. A lot of parents assume that baby teeth don’t matter because they will eventually fall out, but some primary teeth, like our molars, stay until around 12 years of age. So it’s very important to keep them clean and healthy.

2. When Should I Take My Baby To See The Dentist?

The Canadian Dental Association recommends the “assessment of infants, within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth, or by one year of age. The goal is to have your child visit the dentist before there is a problem.” Meeting with a dentist can provide important education for parents, so they know how to care for their child’s teeth, and when to reach out with any concerns. It also allows children to get used to visits to the dentist.

3. Why Should My Little One See A Paediatric Dentist? *Includes Our Personal Experience

Paediatric dentists do an extra 4 years of specialist training, which makes them very well equipped to care for infants, children, and people with special needs. They are trained to work very quickly, something that’s important since most kids have little to no patience ;) They also have special sized equipment needed to assess and treat your little one’s small mouth and teeth properly.

When we took our son Ben (now 7.5 years old) in for his first dental checkup we went to our regular dentist. They did his cleanings for 5 years, however when it came time for x-rays we started having problems. Our initial dentist’s office didn’t have the appropriate size equipment for paediatric x-rays, and the large pieces would cause my son to gag and almost vomit. After several failed attempts to get the x-rays done I saw my son’s anxiety and fear about the dentist rising. I didn’t like the stress it was causing him. I was also feeling a ton of anxiety as a mom, because no successful x-rays had been done. I decided I needed to find a better option, so I reached out to The Bloor Clinic Kids, a new full service Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics clinic at Bloor & Islington.

The staff answered all of my questions, helped me get a predetermination done with our insurance company, and booked our 2 bid kids in as new patients within a few days. I was amazed that they were successful in getting all the x-rays we needed in just 1 quick appointment. Ben even raved as we were leaving the office “this is the best dentist ever!” I was so relieved that it went so well and that there wasn’t a single cavity for either kid. However, we did find out that our daughter Lucy is missing her adult incisors (which my dad and I are also missing, thank goodness for modern day dentistry!). We know she will have a very long dental journey ahead of her, so I’m very relieved to know that we have the amazing team at The Bloor Clinic Kids to help us along the way. Especially since they provide orthodontics on site too. It’s nice to know they’ve got us covered for it all. If you need some help with your little one’s smile reach out to their incredible team info@thebloorclinickids.com or (437) 774-8225. They will be more than happy to help answer all of your questions, and get your dental needs sorted out.

Teething ***IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE!***

Teething can be a long a hard process for some babies. Click here to read about 6 of My Favourite Teething Remedies. Please always remember that Orajel/Baby Orajel teething products should NEVER be used. The presence of benzocaine in these products can lead to a rare but fatal condition called methemoglobinemia (Health Canada Warning). In addition any local numbing agent could numb their throat making it difficult to breath, or increasing the risk of choking. There are many other remedies that can help with the discomfort of teething without being dangerous.

Finally, I want to share with you one of my parenting tricks that helps make teeth brushing fun in our home. We love to sing Brush Your Teeth by Raffi in a very jovial way. Our kids absolutely love it. Check it out if you don’t know the song. Wishing all the parents good luck brushing teeth tonight.

- Care

In This Post: The Bloor Clinic Kids Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics is located at 3250 Bloor St West Unit 112 in Toronto at Bloor & Islington. Contact info@thebloorclinickids.com or (437) 774-8225 with any questions.

*This is a sponsored post which means I was provided compensation and/or products/services for this post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. I only partner with companies that I genuinely love and want to recommend.