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Seven things you may not know about kids’ teeth
By KIM GLOVER, R.D.H.
1. It is important to clean a
baby’s mouth, whether she has
teeth or not. Start by swabbing her
mouth with a thin washcloth once
or twice a day. When her teeth
come in, you may s ll use the wash-
cloth, as a toothbrush may be too
awkward to use in a ny mouth.
You can even put a li le good-tast-
ing brushing gel on the washcloth,
which baby will enjoy the taste of.
More informa on on toothpaste
amounts is provided in the fl uoride
sec on below.
2. An es mated 1 in 2,000 babies
are born with teeth. These are
called “natal teeth” and usually are
where the primary (baby) lower
central incisors will come in later.
Natal teeth o en have very short
roots, so they are usually wiggly.
If your child has these teeth, your
pediatrician will advise you of the
proper treatment. Some mes these
short-rooted teeth will be easily
wiggled out by the doctor. It has
been reported that Ivan the Ter-
rible, King Richard III of England,
and Napoleon Bonaparte all had
natal teeth.
3. The human mouth can have
700 diff erent types of bacteria.
Some are good, some are bad. It is
important for you to take good care
of your mouth so you aren’t sharing
gum disease or cavity-causing bac-
teria with your kids – this happens
when we share utensils and water
bo les.
4. Dried fruits can be bad for
teeth because of the natural sugar,
the acidity and the s ckiness.
When s cky, acidic things adhere
Let us help
you FALL in
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ORTHODONTIST
Durk V. Irwin, D.M.D. P.C.
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to teeth, they
are so ening
and weak-
ening the
enamel.
This is true
for gummy
fruit, can-
dies, and
vitamins as
well.
5. Children can
get too much
fl uoride. If
kids swal-
low too
much fl uo-
ride during the
years their permanent teeth are
developing under the gums (rough-
ly ages 1-16), the permanent teeth
may develop with fl uorosis, which
means the permanent teeth may
have white, yellow, or brown spots.
Make sure kids three years and
under use just a smear of fl uoride
toothpaste on the toothbrush bris-
tles. This should be about the same
size as a grain of rice. Children four
and older should use a pea-sized
amount of paste.
If you are using non-fl uoride
toothpaste, use a similar amount.
However the amount is not as cri -
cal when the paste does not have
fl uoride. Keep all
toothpaste out of
reach of small kids
who may decide
to eat it!
6. Don’t have
your child
brush her
teeth a er
vomi ng. Her
teeth will be
very so for
20 minutes
a er exposure to
the stomach acid,
and she will be brush-
ing away enamel. Just have
your child swish with water or
use a fl uoride mouthrinse to get rid
of the bad taste.
7. Baby teeth usually fall out in
the same order as they came in.
Most kids get their two lower inci-
sors fi rst, then the upper incisors.
Next will be the lower lateral inci-
sors, then the uppers. The canines
and molars will follow. You’ll no ce
permanent teeth usually erupt in
the same order.
________
Kim Glover is a Registered Dental
Hygienist at Broadway Family Den-
tal Care (www.bwaydental.com) in
Milton-Freewater.
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