What I Learned From My Daughter’s Dentist

Over the weekend we went to the dentist to have Gabbie’s teeth checked. Michelle of My Mom-Friday recommended this dental place which is suitable for toddlers & kids since they house pediatrician dentists.

I wasn’t able to take decent pictures since I forgot my trusty camera and I was also focused on assisting Gabbie on her dental visit. This isn’t her first dental visit by the way, she actually had her first dental check up when she was a year old and through our family dentist but since she’s already two and have developed milk cavities, we decided to bring her to a pedia dentist so that she can get watever treatment suitable for her from someone who’s an expert on kids .

We were under Dra. Ibe’s (I forgot her first name) care. There wasn’t any pressure into letting Gabbie sit on the dental chair, in fact Dra. Ibe had her hold the dental mirror so that she can get used to it. Soon after Gabbie was busy tinkering and looking at herself in the tiny mirror, the dentist then talked to us the parents. Usually when kids are too young to understand it is the parents who get to relay the message for them. In our case, it was us who needed to learn about our toddler’s teeth since Gabbie’s too young to brush properly on her own.

Here’s a quick summary on what I learned from our dental visit:

1. Milk is one of the biggest factor when it comes to cavities. Some milk are high in sugar and sadly, Gabbie’s milk is one of them.

2. Vitamins particularly those in syrup form can be a factor in cavity build up. The yellow, brown & orange colored ones can stain a kid’s teeth and can penetrate deeper over time.

3. Eating sweets is normal for a kid. While you can’t hide all the sweets in the world, let your kid indulge one time big time. That means letting him/her eat sweets once a day instead of dividing it into smaller portions and let her consume it a number of times in a day. That way the build up of acid in the mouth is reduced creating less chance for cavities to develop.

4. The correct position to brush your child’s teeth is not face to face but instead you stay behind him/her and ask her to tilt his/her head. Another option is to let your child lie on your lap so that his/her head is tilted upward. It is easier to brush your child’s teeth that way mainly because once the head is tilted upward, the jaw tends to automatically drop making it easier for you & your child. No more forcing your kid to say “aaaaaaaaahhh” plus it also prevents you from accidentally bumping/brushing the walls of his/her mouth.

photo source

5. Water is the key. While drinking water helps in being hydrated, it is also helpful in washing down acids that causes cavities. Let your child drink water after she drinks her milk, her vitamins (only if it’s syrup, if it’s chewable let at least 30 minutes interval for the tablet to be absorbed fully), after eating any kind of food and most especially after eating sweets. It will immensely wash down any remaining food in the mouth leaving less chance for cavities to develop.

Gabbie enjoyed her visit to the dentist. Look at the after shots I took.

There’s a play corner where kids can play to get familiarized with the surroundings & the overall feel of the environment.

Gabbie gets two stickers for being brave & nice.

Here’s a look at Gabbie’s teeth kit.

left to right: Spongebob & Patrick toothbrush, Mickey Mouse toothbrush, GC Tooth Mousse, Aquafresh Training Toothpaste, SansFluo Tooth& Gum Wipes.

 Dra. Ibe said to have two toothbrushes (one that Gabbie can use herself and one that I use on Gabbie) to encourage her to brush her own teeth but at the same time have a another one so I can use it to brush her teeth properly. Good thing we already have two toothbrushes and have been using them both for the same purpose Dra. Ibe mentioned.

The tooth moussse also was a recommendation by Gabbie’s dentist but we’ve already been using it for almost a year now as recommended by our family dentist. This helps prevent the spread of cavities. Gabbie loves applying this on her teeth because of the strawberry melon flavor.

As for G’s toothpaste we’ve been on constant search for the perfect one ever since Gabbie had her first tooth. Luckily, we found Aquafresh Training Toothpaste (in Banapple flavor) which is very safe for babies & toddlers who cannot spit just yet. This training toothpaste has xylitol that can clean teeth. Please don’t use toothpaste for kids that has fluoride on your child who doesn’t know how to properly spit yet, it’s very dangerous for kids to swallow fluoride.

And since Gabbie already has milk cavity build up on her upper teeth, Dra. Ibe recommended we use a tooth & gum wipes for when we cannot brush G’s teeth. Because G has weaned off her binky, she now turns to drinking milk when she randomly wakes up in the middle of the night and couldn’t go back to sleep. So instead of trying to brush her teeth (sleepy baby= cranky baby so it’s a no-no), I’ve started using SansFluo Tooth & Gum Wipes after she drinks milk in the middle of the night. G loves the hint of strawberry flavor too!

I hope I covered everything the dentist discussed with me and my husband. We’re due to go back in three months time hoping that Gabbie’s milk cavities are prevented and have not worsened by then. I definitely need the help of a tooth fairy to sprinkle me some patience to meticulously brush/wipe my daughter’s teeth in the middle of the night. Yes, I’m the designated parent to do the job, I just hope I can manage to lay Gabbie down on my lap when my tummy’s already big so I can still personally brush her teeth. If not, I may need to use my extra pair of hands- my husband’s.