M.Y. Dental Spa offers caring, compassionate, and comprehensive dental care for patients in the Midtown Manhattan area. The dental team at this general and cosmetic dentistry practice has a strong commitment to ensuring that all patients receive the care they need for a beautiful smile while feeling as comfortable and relaxed as possible. The team at M.Y. Dental Spa offers more than 20 years of experience in dentistry, along with pain-free dental care and a welcoming environment. 

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Parenting is hard. There is no easy way to about it, and it’s never-ending, from learning how to breastfeed to knowing when to take them to the pediatrician or dentist. It takes asking questions, reading educational articles, and tons of time in the game to understand what works best for your child(ren).

To make your lives less complicated, Haute Beauty expert at M.Y. Dental Spa, Dr. Mimi Yeung  introduces an excellent oral hygiene routine for your kid’s teeth to stay healthy forever. Here are the five things you should know once your child’s teeth appear.

1. Brush your child’s teeth every day with fluoride.

To fight tooth decay, brush your baby’s teeth gently with a small, soft-bristled toothbrush and smear of fluoride toothpaste. A great oral hygiene routine includes brushing their teeth at least once a day at bedtime. At the age of 3, you can give your child a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste and when they hit the age of 6, you can allow them to brush their teeth on their own.

2. Don’t share germs.

Interestingly enough, children are not born with bacteria that can cause tooth decay. The bacteria is actually transmitted to them from adults, or better yet, you. Therefore, it is advised not to share your cup, spoon, or even kiss your kids on the lips, even though we all know, that as parents we cave to the cuteness.

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3. Limit sugar.

As much as children love their sugar, sugar feeds bacteria. By limiting the sugar your child eats, your child’s teeth will better avoid tooth decay. This also goes hand-in-hand with encouraging a healthy diet like limiting soda consumption or sugary snacks. Regardless sugar shouldn’t be fed between meals, only at mealtime.

4. No bedtime bottles.

When giving a child a bedtime bottle with juice, milk, or even breast milk, you are promoting tooth decay. If a bottle is used as a soothing mechanism (at nighttime), you can fill it with water to avoid the extra nighttime sugar.

5. Discourage thumb sucking.

Thumb-sucking or using a pacifier is an entirely regular habit. Unfortunately, it can affect the alignment of your child’s teeth and the development of their jaws. So, by the age of three, if your child is still sucking their thumb, it is time to discourage it.