As February is Pediatric Dental Month, Warren County Health Department Administrator Jenna Link recommends starting a healthy dental routine at a young age:
“We talk a lot with moms in our WIC program and even in our dental clinic, with your infants, after they eat, you really should take a soft cloth and wipe the inside of their mouth. There are sugars in there and as the teeth start to develop and come through, you want to start brushing those little baby teeth after their eating because as the sugar sits on there, it can cause dental caries, which leads to a lot of issues. If they are needing to go to bed at night with a bottle to help them sleep, make sure you are putting water in there instead of milk or juice. That sugar on the teeth is just really harmful. Once the first tooth starts coming in, get established with a local dental provider. It is good to start healthy habits early, twice a day, two minutes at a time, get those teeth brushed.”
The Warren County Health Department also visits the local schools throughout February to promote healthy nutrition, flossing, and brushing to the students.