Protect Your Children’s Teeth
Dental decay can be avoided by taking good care of children’s teeth from the very start. Many infections and diseases are passed through the child’s body because of bacteria in the mouth and infected teeth. Dental care for children starts before their first tooth grows out, and ensures that their milk teeth are healthy and straight, and their secondary teeth grow out properly after the milk teeth fall out.
Here’s what you can do to protect your children’s teeth:
Step 1: Get a Medical Checkup
Before a child turns 1, it must have had a dental checkup to ensure that everything is in order. In some rare cases, children’s jaws are not developed enough to let the tooth grow out, which results in a very painful teething time for the child. All kinds of chewing toys that are given to toddlers to soothe itching gums must be medically approved.
Step 2: Start a Good Habit
Start teaching oral hygiene to children so that they can religiously follow it throughout. With a baby brush, gently clean any teeth the child has, rub a soft clean cloth on the gums and teach them to rinse their mouth after eating or drinking sugary products.
Step 3: Pack away that Baby Bottle
Sucking from baby bottles, on pacifiers and drinking from Sippy cups deforms the teeth. Try to wean the child to cups as soon as it is able to grasp and balance the cup. If they are drinking sweetened milk, formula milk or juices from the bottles, try to brush their teeth immediately afterwards, as the sugary coating over their teeth leads to early tooth decay and cavities. Generally, the entire diet affects dental health. Try to incorporate healthy foods in their diet, and hard snacks such as carrots and bread sticks.
It’s never too late, before addressing any issue related to your smile, gums, teeth, and other oral or in general health issues, consult with Dr. Jean-Jacques Edderai. A dental prophylaxis or cleaning as previously mentioned including our check-up every three to four months will allow Dr. Edderai to keep a watchful eye on your oral health and prevent cavities or minor problem before they start. For answers to some of the most commonly asked questions, visit my FAQ page at http://www.northmiamibeachdentist.com/faqs/.
Remember the best advice from your Dentist “Unaddressed issues will never get resolved by themselves”.
Copyright Dr. Jean-Jacques Edderai- 2017