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What You Need To Know About Pacifiers
What You Need To Know About Pacifiers
Pacifiers are an important tool in helping soothe babies. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
- Only give clean pacifiers to your baby.
- Never dip a pacifier in honey or other sugary substances. This will cause bacteria to grow in the mouth and eventually cause tooth decay.
- Never put your baby’s pacifier in your mouth before handing it to your baby. Remember you have naturally occurring bacteria in your mouth that can cause infection and tooth decay in your baby. Once this bacteria has been introduced, your child has a much greater risk of tooth decay throughout his or her life.
- Do not attach a pacifier to your baby by a cord, ribbon, or string – it may cause strangulation.
- Replace any pacifiers that are worn out or breaking down: cracked, swollen, sticky, etc. When in doubt, throw it out! Remember that uneven surfaces, such as cracks, harbor tooth decay and respiratory infection causing bacteria.
- Use pacifiers with plastic shields wider than your baby’s mouth to prevent choking.
- Never leave your baby unattended with a pacifier.
- Prolonged use of pacifiers – past age two – may cause an uneven bite to form. This is called a Malocclusion, and may affect the positioning of the permanent teeth, just like extended thumb sucking. However, if you take the pacifier away too soon, before your child is ready, he or she may turn to thumb sucking – which you can’t take away. Talk to one of our highly trained pediatric dental professionals about your child’s pacifier or thumb habit when you come in for a visit.
Contact our Pediatric Dentists with any questions, or request an appointment.
Read More About Taking Care of Children’s Teeth Ages 1-4:
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