Lake Orion Family Dentistry

All parents want the best for their babies, and part of the responsibility of parenting is helping babies maintain good health. While infants don’t often have teeth (one in every 2,000 babies is born with one or more teeth) they develop their first teeth around six months of age. Teeth that develop before birth are referred to as natal teeth. Neonatal teeth are the teeth that come in after the first month of life. A baby’s first set of teeth are called primary or milk teeth, and during childhood, they are replaced with permanent teeth to last throughout adulthood.

Oral hygiene should begin shortly after the baby is born to prevent infections and dental problems.

Thrush

Thrush, a fungal infection caused by Candida (yeast), often appears in the areas in the mouth that may have damaged tissue caused by sucking a pacifier or breastfeeding. Thrush symptoms consist of white patches inside the mouth or on the tongue. Thrush can be treated with topical, oral antifungal medicine or with systemic medicine, which is swallowed. Some ways to prevent thrush are cleaning bottle nipples and pacifiers regularly, and drying and cleaning nipples after breastfeeding.