However, pacifiers can also have negative impacts on the growth of your child’s mouth, jaw, and teeth, especially if used for extended periods of time.

How can pacifiers impact your child’s oral health? Here’s what you need to know about oral health and pacifier use.

Pacifiers Could Affect Mouth Growth and Development

If your baby is using a pacifier over a long period of time, it can actually change the shape of your child’s mouth, specifically the roof of the mouth.

What exactly is considered prolonged use of a pacifier? Your baby should be completely weaned off a pacifier by age two. Some professionals even suggest stopping or limiting use of the pacifier as early as six months of age [2].

If the development of the roof of your baby’s mouth is impacted, your child could have what’s called an open bite, where the top and bottom rows of teeth won’t touch in the front even when the mouth is closed.

Pacifiers Have the Potential to Cause Teeth Alignment Issues

Just as prolonged thumb sucking can affect tooth alignment, so can long-term pacifier use. Your child’s teeth may slant forward or protrude from the mouth and the teeth may not come in properly.

Your child may have crooked, crowded, or misaligned teeth. They could also experience changes in their jaw development or alignment with consistent and prolonged use of a pacifier.

Unfortunately, children who experience teeth or jaw alignment issues from pacifier misuse will require orthodontic intervention in the future. Teeth that are affected won’t fix themselves and any jaw or bite issues won’t go away on their own.

Guidelines to Follow When Using Pacifiers for Healthy Teeth

While pacifiers can certainly be helpful, parents should use them with the understanding that they are temporary, not a habit to be encouraged.

You can follow the below tips for keeping your child’s tooth and jaw development healthy even with use of a pacifier in their infancy:

– Consider only using a pacifier during your child’s nap and sleep time.
– Consider stopping or limiting use of the pacifier once your baby is able to coo, which indicates that they have control over their tongue and no longer need a pacifier.
– In any case, ensure your child is weaned off the pacifier by the time they are two years old.
– Avoid dipping the pacifier in a sweet solution such as honey; this can encourage tooth decay.
– Consider using the pacifier to soothe your baby only as a last resort once he or she is past the age of one.

You can talk more with your child-friendly dentist about the use of a pacifier and continue to schedule regular checkups for your little one to ensure their tooth development is on track!

When using a pacifier, it’s important to exercise caution so that your baby can have healthy teeth and gums for life. By using a pacifier properly, you can enjoy its benefits while reducing the risk that your child would experience oral health problems as a result. Talk to your dentist or pediatrician more about safe pacifier use!

Sources:
1. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/116/5/e716
2. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2009/0415/p681-s1.html

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Teething can be a challenging time for babies and their parents, causing symptoms that range from drooling to irritability to trouble sleeping. Your child may also be trying to chew on objects, rub their face, or be difficult to soothe.

You can help your baby through the teething process with the following tips to help reduce their teething discomfort.

Massage Your Child’s Gums

Applying light pressure to your child’s gums via a gum massage can help temporarily alleviate their teething pain until an episode passes. Be sure to always wash your hands before putting your finger in your baby’s mouth.

You can gently massage your child’s gums to help soothe them while their teeth are coming in. Be sure not to apply too much pressure and if your baby shows signs of additional distress, discontinue this practice.

Keep Stress to a Minimum

Inflammation during the teething process causes your child’s mouth to hurt. Any additional stress on your baby can exacerbate their symptoms, so keeping your baby as comfortable as possible during this time is important.

For some babies, soothing activities such as breastfeeding (if you choose to breastfeed your child) or a warm bath can help distract a baby from their discomfort and calm them down.

Give Them a Cold Object

There are many objects on the market today that can be chilled or frozen for your baby to chew on to help numb their mouth and stop their teething pain. These include:

 Teething toys. These may include teething rings, wooden toys which can help apply pressure, or even teething necklaces that go in the freezer and can be given to baby for them to chew on for cool relief.

 Frozen fruit. Never give your baby whole frozen fruit as they may choke; instead, you can try putting the fruit in mesh bags that are tied off or sealed and allowing your baby to chew and refilling as needed.

 Other frozen objects. You may also choose to try a cold spoon, a frozen washcloth, or other objects to help alleviate your baby’s pain, just be sure your child cannot choke on the object and always supervise your baby!

Teething Gel

Your dentist may recommend a teething gel to provide your baby with quick relief in the event that they are inconsolable with these other tips during the teething process. Your dentist can let you know what gel they recommend and where you can find it as well as how to apply it. Typically, any type of pain medication is used as a last resort for babies who are teething.

Is your child going through the teething process? Emerging teeth can be uncomfortable for babies and anxiety inducing for parents who have to comfort their baby during this time. You can help alleviate your baby’s discomfort and stress with the above tips for teething pain!

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Cleaning your baby’s mouth can help remove bacteria and keep their oral cavity clean. Through proper care, your child’s teeth will be healthy when they arrive and your baby will be used to regular cleanings. This is an important part of ensuring he or she will better adjust to tooth brushing when they are a bit older. Here’s how you can effectively and safely care for your infant’s mouth.

Before Tooth Eruption

You can easily clean your child’s mouth before they have any teeth. This is usually before the age of six months, but it could be until 9 months or more until your child has his or her first tooth. To clean your infant’s mouth, take a clean piece of gauze or a clean washcloth and get it damp with clean water. Run this along both rows of gums in your baby’s mouth. It’s important that your hands are clean in addition to the cloth or gauze you’re using. The best position to do this is with your baby in your lap with their mouth below you so you can see properly into their mouth. This task is best done after each feeding!

After Tooth Eruption

When your child first starts to develop teeth, forgo the cloth or gauze and get a toothbrush. It’s important that the toothbrush is the appropriate size for your infant—many stores sell these small toothbrushes that help you easily clean inside your baby’s mouth.

It’s also crucial that the toothbrush be soft-bristled. Hard bristles are more damaging to teeth, and your baby’s new teeth should be protected. You can help by choosing a brush with very soft bristles to gently brush your child’s teeth. You can also begin using a very small amount of toothpaste, just a light smear on the brush is more than enough. When you begin using a toothbrush for your child’s mouth, you can switch to brushing teeth twice a day rather than after each feeding.

Continuing Care and Flossing

It’s important to remember that as soon as your child has teeth, they are susceptible to tooth decay. This is why taking care of their teeth is so important, especially since they’re unable to do it themselves. Once your child has two teeth that touch, you can begin flossing.

Using the proper amount of toothpaste—about the size of a grain of rice for infants—in addition to daily brushing and flossing will help them to develop healthy teeth. Once your child reaches the age of three, you can begin using more toothpaste and teaching them how to brush on their own. During this time, regular dental visits are also imperative to ensuring your child has healthy teeth for life!

You can take care of your infant’s mouth daily no matter what age they are. Begin with a clean cloth or gauze shortly after birth. Continue care by brushing and flossing once teeth come in—and as always, visit your dentist to ensure decay isn’t present in your child’s mouth!

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