Caring for the health of your baby’s teeth and gums begins from an early age. The eruption of the first baby teeth occurs in the first months of life and is accompanied by unpleasant and painful sensations for the child. You can relieve your child’s pain with the help of special modern devices for caring and cleaning teeth. Teethers help eliminate the use of medications and prevent unsafe objects from getting into the baby’s mouth.
What it is?
Keep in mind! Dentists recommend that parents start caring for their teeth when they have little or no teeth.
Because it’s not only about cleaning, but also about teaching the baby a very important hygiene procedure . Therefore, it is very important that training is timely.
In addition, it is much easier to accustom a small child to a toothbrush at a time when he “tastes” everything and puts it in his mouth.
It is best for a small child to purchase a silicone massage brush , which will become his first toothbrush.
It is also called a fingertip. This is a transparent cap, at the end of which there is a large amount of short fibers and pimples made of silicone .
Its peculiarity is that before use the product must be placed on the index finger of an adult.
It is also allowed to be worn on the little finger.
For your information! Thanks to this simple thing, you can not only gently remove plaque from the baby’s first teeth, but also massage his gums, which is done due to the presence of villi and pimples.
Moreover, most kids like this procedure.
Parents
need to remember that the mouth of a small child must be regularly cleaned of food debris and microbial plaque.
In addition, milk teeth are a favorable and nutritious environment for fungal flora, as well as for the development of candidal stomatitis.
Many parents are also attracted by the low price of the product.
Very often a special case comes with it.
Note! If the child is 3-4 months old, then you can start using the finger brush.
This product has the following advantages :
- hygienic care of the item is quite easy;
- it contains absolutely no harmful substances ;
- provides a massage effect ;
- Since it is made of soft material, it is almost impossible to injure the child’s gums.
Stay up to date! In addition to its advantages, the brush also has disadvantages:
- short service life . Very often, when little children start teething, they start to itch, so the baby can simply chew on the device;
- The size of the silicone brush is more designed for women's fingers , but it may not fit on men's fingers;
- It often happens that a child bites the brush , naturally, with a finger inside it, so parents need to be careful .
Dr. Zubastik recommends
There is an opinion among parents that there is no need to brush baby teeth. What difference does it make whether they have caries or not? After all, they will fall out anyway.
Caries is an inflammatory process caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Infection through microcracks in the mucous membrane can enter the bloodstream and cause various pathologies - sinusitis, tonsillitis, tonsillitis, meningitis. Therefore, I recommend cleaning the baby’s mouth before the first teeth erupt. Thus, you will prevent the development of caries, periodontitis, chronic sinusitis, and tonsillitis.
Tags: fingertip, brushing teeth
About the author: Dr. Zubastik
Typically, a toothache begins to subside on the way to the clinic and finally goes away after 10 minutes of sitting in line to see the dentist.
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How to choose a product?
First of all, you need to pay attention to the material. It should be durable , but at the same time soft , so that the brush does not scratch or injure the baby’s sensitive gums.
You should know! Nowadays brushes are made of silicone.
Choosing the right thing is not so difficult, because all models are almost the same. They may vary in color and the presence of additional accessories.
It is recommended to buy those brushes that are sold with the case.
In this case, over time, when the brush deteriorates, it will be possible to purchase a new one, but without the case, since it was left over from the previous one.
Thanks to the container, the transparent fingertip is unlikely to get lost.
In most cases, all brushes are the same size.
It is recommended to buy the product in specialized stores , and even better - in pharmacies .
If the item was sold without a case, then it will need to be stored in a separate open cup. In this case, the end of the brush with bristles should be located at the top and “breathe”.
Know! A finger brush is also better than a traditional one because it can be replaced as it wears out.
Can teeth crowding be treated with aligners?
Yes, such treatment is in demand. Aligners are aligners, a removable orthodontic device made of polycarbonate. A more aesthetic, but at the same time expensive alternative to braces. Aligners exert constant pressure on crowded teeth, provoking the natural resorption of alveolar bone tissue in the direction of tooth movement, while bone tissue is formed in the opposite direction. Thus, the crowded teeth move along a trajectory pre-planned by the orthodontist, and the crowding gradually goes away. Dental aligners are distinguished by their aesthetic appearance, compact size, easy to remove and put on, invisible on the teeth, and easy to care for throughout the entire treatment period.
Recommendations for use
Since this silicone brush with many bristles is placed on your finger, you must thoroughly wash your hands with soap
before brushing your teeth Only after this can you put the toothbrush on your finger.
If brushing teeth is carried out with such a fingertip, then it is best to sit the child on his knees with his back to you.
To carry out the procedure, you need to carefully clean your teeth and gums from plaque with slow movements in different directions.
Remember! In no case should you skip hard-to-reach places, since these are where the largest number of bacteria are located.
The duration of cleaning should be about 4-5 minutes , especially if the child is 4-6 months old.
Thanks to the fact that the toothbrush cleans the child’s mouth from plaque and massages the gums when they are inflamed, the baby’s overall health improves.
You can use this device from 3 months to a year .
The procedure should be carried out several times a day. The best time is in the morning and before bed.
But you can brush your teeth after every meal, which will be even more effective.
Recommendations for successful of teeth with a brush-massager
- The child should be prohibited from playing with a toothbrush.
- If the child is under 2 years old, then it is better to carry out the procedure without toothpaste, simply moistening the brush in water.
- Massage your gums and clean your teeth from plaque using gentle movements.
When should you start oral hygiene?
Preferably from birth, and not from the moment the first tooth erupts.
Before it appears, using special devices, you can prevent childhood candidiasis (thrush); growth and reproduction of infection that causes sinusitis, tonsillitis, sore throat, meningitis. To do this, purchase a fabric fingertip. When the first tooth has erupted and from the moment until the child is able to carry out the cleaning procedure on his own, it is recommended to use a silicone fingertip. Where can caries come from in young children? Many toddlers suffer from regurgitation syndrome.
The milk in the stomach and up the esophagus into the oral cavity is already mixed with hydrochloric acid, which is part of the gastric juice. That is, the milk automatically becomes sour. And such an environment is an excellent “soil” for the proliferation of bacteria. According to statistics, in 56% of children the cause of the development of chronic sinusitis is the lack of normal oral hygiene. As soon as the first tooth emerges, start using a silicone finger guard. Vegetables and fruits, when introduced into the diet, make the environment in the oral cavity acidic. If you do not cleanse, bacteria will mercilessly penetrate the porous enamel, causing the development of inflammation and caries.
Silicone and fabric baby finger pads from the following companies are popular: Canpol babies, Pigeon, Philips Avent, Tommee Tippee. Which one to choose is up to you. The only thing that can be noted is that don’t save money, try proven companies, for example, Canpol babies.
Proper care
Important! If you follow the rules of caring for your finger brush, it will last as long as possible. To do this you need:
- Wash the product with soap after each cleaning.
- Store the massage brush in a special case so that it is always clean. Before placing the product in a container, it must be dried.
- Avoid steam treatment of the brush , as well as boiling. This is explained by the fact that silicone is a synthetic compound in which there is virtually no growth of pathogenic microflora. In addition, due to the steam, the silicone will begin to deform, and this will lead to the fact that the brush will need to be thrown away.
Reference! If the brush has a case, then storing it will be much easier, since most often it has a special clip with which the product can be secured to various thin surfaces.
For example, for the strap of a bag or for a shelf in the bathroom.
On average, the service life of a fingertip is 2-3 months . If the brush is deformed or damaged, it must be replaced.
What is crowded teeth in children and adults, and why does it occur?
Crowding of teeth is a common problem in which the dental units are located too close to each other, some crowns “overlap” the bottoms of the neighboring ones, forming an unaesthetic picture.
Teeth can be crowded in the middle, on the sides, and also in both the back and frontal areas at the same time. Most often, dentists diagnose crowding of the front teeth of the lower jaw.
There are three stages of dental crowding:
- Third or advanced, when the dental arch decreases in size by approximately 7 millimeters;
- The middle stage of dental crowding, when the row of teeth is shortened by 4 - 6 millimeters;
- Initial or first, when the size of the dental arch is reduced by 2 - 3 millimeters.
Finger brush from
This company has been operating since 1990.
It produces products for parents, with the help of which they raise and educate their children.
The company specializes in products without which normal child development is impossible..
Taking care of parents and children, wanting to provide them with comfort and time savings, the manufacturer designs products in such a way that they are as comfortable, reliable, and ergonomic as possible.
Parents also get involved in the process of creating products.
It is worth noting! The company is engaged in the production of safe products that are designed in accordance with current directives and standards of the European Union.
For example, toys undergo rigorous checks and tests before they hit store shelves.
Thanks to strict production control, the company guarantees the high quality of its products .
That is why the company is very popular among parents.
A silicone toothbrush from this manufacturer is sold together with a plastic case.
Thanks to this, the product is convenient to store and carry with you if necessary. Therefore, this is a significant advantage of this brush.
The length itself is 5 cm , it is made of high-quality and soft silicone .
Keep in mind! The fingertip does not have any specific smell or taste, so you can safely brush your child’s teeth with it.
On one side of the product there is a pimpled massage surface, which is a big plus for those children who are teething.
Mouthguard for athletes made of silicone
Such mouthguards are used to protect teeth in contact or extreme sports - football, hockey, boxing. Sports mouthguards are worn over the front teeth and reduce the strong physical impact not only on the teeth, but also on soft tissues and even the cervical spine.
Based on manufacturing methods, there are two types of sports mouthguards:
1. Standard sports mouth guard
Sold in any sports stores, made the same for everyone.
2. Individual sports mouth guard.
It is made individually for a specific person using impressions of his teeth, taking into account their anatomical shape. They cost much more, but are also much more convenient, since they fit on the teeth “like family.”
Orthodontic dental guards
These aligners are used to correct malocclusions. At the moment, there are several types of orthodontic aligners on the market from different manufacturers, including Star Smile aligners, the well-known aligners.
But not all orthodontic aligners are capable of solving serious bite problems; they only help to close the spaces between the teeth and correct minor curvatures.
Much has changed when Russian-made orthodontic mouthguards or aligners from the Star Smile company appeared; they became serious competitors to braces, since they can correct almost all defects in the development of bite.
Retainer or mouthguard
After aligning the bite using braces or aligners, you must wear a special mouth guard or retainer that secures the result. In appearance, this tray looks like an aligner, only very, very smooth and even.
Retention aligners are made from special biopolymers; they are easy to use and almost invisible. These mouth guards are worn at night and worn for several hours during the day. The timing of wearing retainers is individual and depends on the degree of development of the malocclusion.
Wearing retaining trays after braces and aligners is mandatory, and this is the only way you can be sure that the teeth will not return to their original incorrect position.
