Phone: 910-778-8485 fax: 910-436-8485

2980 Ray Road Spring Lake NC 28390 Near Overhills Schools

Vincent Vissichelli, DMD

Board Certified Pediatric Dentist

Specializing in the treatment of infants, children, teens and special needs patients.

Patient Forms

7 points on brushing your childs teeth

1.  Clean or brush a young child’s teeth twice daily.

2.  Begin wiping the gums of even a very small infant with a soft washcloth or soft toothbrush, even prior to tooth eruption, to establish a daily oral hygiene
routine.

3.  Toothbrushes for infants and toddlers should be soft with a small head and a large handle.

4. Toothbrushing should be supervised until the child can reliably rinse and spit out excess toothpaste (usually 6 years of age). Younger children do not have the hand
coordination necessary for independent toothbrushing.

5.   Electric toothbrushes are useful when the child has limited movement. They do the work for you, they position well, and the small head can help limit the amount of toothpaste to what is appropriate for children.

6.  All accessible surfaces of each tooth need to be brushed.

7. Do not allow your  child to swallow toothpaste.

Using Fluoride toothpast…

1.   A smear or rice size of toothpaste can be used as soon the first tooth erupts if the child is at high risk for decay.

2.   Caution is advised when using fluoridated toothpaste for young children because they may swallow excessive amounts of toothpaste.

3.  When your child can spit out the excessive toothpast usually at age 2 years to 3 years old switch to a small pea sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.

4.  Children younger than 6 years should use only a pea size amount of fluoridated toothpaste.

5.   Check the fluoride content of toothpastes; almost all toothpastes manufactured in the United States provide topical fluoride, but not all natural toothpastes do.

Prevention is the Key when it comes to tooth decay

To prevent tooth decay be sure you-

1.  Start brushing your baby’s teeth as soon as they erupt.

2.  Limit sugar-containing drinks between meals.  Drink water instead.

3.  Avoid sticky foods like raisins, fruit leather, and hard candies.  Provide the child with healthy alternatives such as fruits and vegetables cut into small pieces (to avoid
choking) or whole grain snacks.

4.  Make an appointment with your Pediatric Dentist when the teeth erupt or sooner if you have concerns.  It is never too early to prevent dental disease.

7 Facts about Baby bottle tooth decay

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* Baby Bottle tooth Decay now called Early childhood caries (ECC).

* Dependent on the frequency of simple carbohydrates your child puts in their mouth.  This can be by bottle, sippy cup, or just constant snacking.

* An infection that affects children younger than 5 years old.

* Transmissible

* Typically seen on the underside of the upper front teeth

*It may result in severe tooth decay.

*It can spread fast – months- and cause severe dental disease.

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