Caring for baby teeth and gums #Smilehood #ad

This is a sponsored post for which I’ve received compensation. As usual, the opinions are my 100% my own.

It’s hard to believe that the last time I mentioned our dental journey, we were still expecting a baby – and now that baby has been with us for a month. When we were at the pediatrician’s office for the first visit, my husband picked up a flyer with tips on cleaning baby’s gums and preparing for healthy teeth. This was something that we hadn’t thought of when our son was small. We thought we were doing all the right things by brushing when his first tooth came in. 

Turns out, there is a lot of cleaning to be done in the months before those teeth begin breaking through. 

Our baby is obviously not eating anything but milk right now, but we still can do things to help her. When I was reading tips on the Orajel™ site, I realized that they were very similar to what our pediatric dentist was recommending.

For starters, we can use a warm washcloth to wipe her gums after she eats. I try to do this about twice a day. She eats up to a dozen or more times during the day and night, and sometimes I’m just trying to get through the feeding.

When she’s around 3 months old and starting signs of teething, I’ll be using the Baby Orajel™ Tooth and Gum Cleanser. It’s a finger brush that you can use to massage and clean your baby’s gums. The finger brush also comes with a training toothpaste that is fluoride free and safe for young children. We used the brush with our son before he had teeth, and it got him used to us putting a toothbrush in his mouth. It also helped provide some comfort when his teeth were beginning to break through. That poor child teethed early and often. 

The finger brush is so simple to use – and not expensive! We’ll probably end up with a couple of these to keep in the baby’s room and in a travel bag (just so we don’t forget it.) 

Other tips: 

Brush/clean your baby’s gums at least twice a day. (Our son’s dentist recommends three times.) 

Visit a dentist by the time your child is one-year-old, by the time they age a little they’ll become used to the visits and not show signs of dental anxiety, making it easier for them as an adult to visit dental services such as Dentist Manchester.

My son’s first visit was closer to two-years-old, and I wish we’d started sooner. It takes time for some kids to allow a stranger to poke around in his/her mouth. And in my son’s case, it has taken two years for him to trust the dentist. (He still hates the chair leaning back.) 

See that little grin? I want to keep it healthy as she gets bigger. I’m hopeful with the help of Orajel™ and the various products they offer, we can give this baby the best smile. 

I’m excited to be part of the Orajel™ Smilehood community – a group of moms promoting healthy smiles and oral hygiene. I’ll be sharing my stories and tips over the next several months.