Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
A7
MARCH 2017
www.webmd.com/oral-health/dental-care-for-children-directory
Taking care of your child’s teeth is an important part of taking care of their overall health. Cavities and tooth or
gum infections can lead to more serious health problems if ignored. Experts recommend that your child’s dental
care start at 12 months of age, or when their first teeth appear. As your child gets older, he or she should have
their teeth professionally examined and cleaned by a dentist every 6 months.
Good dental care begins before a baby’s first tooth appears. Just because you can’t see the teeth doesn’t mean
they aren’t there. Teeth actually begin to form in the second trimester of pregnancy. At birth, your baby has 20
primary teeth, some of which are fully developed in the jaw.
HERE’S WHEN AND HOW TO CARE FOR THOSE LITTLE CHOPPERS:
• Even before your baby starts teething, run a clean, damp washcloth over the gums to clear away harmful
bacteria.
• Once your baby gets teeth, brush them with an infant toothbrush. Use water and a tiny bit of fluoride
toothpaste (about the size of a grain of rice). Use fluoride toothpaste that carries the American Dental
Association’s (ADA) seal of acceptance. (If you are using baby toothpaste without the fluoride, keep it to the
same amount because you still want to minimize any toothpaste that is swallowed.)
• Once your baby’s teeth touch, you can begin flossing in between them.
• Around age 2, your child should learn to spit while brushing. Avoid giving your child water to swish and spit
because this might make swallowing toothpaste more likely.
• Kids ages 3 and up should use only a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.
• Always supervise kids younger than 6 while brushing, as they are more likely to swallow toothpaste.
Even babies can develop tooth decay if good feeding habits aren’t practiced. Putting a baby to sleep with a bottle
might be convenient, but can harm the baby’s teeth. When the sugars from juice or milk remain on a baby’s teeth
for hours, they can eat away at the enamel, creating a condition known as bottle mouth. Pocked, pitted, or
discolored front teeth are signs of bottle mouth. Kids with severe cases might develop cavities and need all of their
front teeth pulled (permanent teeth will grow in later).
The mouth and teeth help with digestion by chopping up
food, but they’re also crucial for speech.
Tongue The taste buds that sense the four major tastes are
grouped in different areas of the tongue
Incisors Incisors help you bite and tear off pieces of food.
Canine The four canine teeth, also called the eyeteeth or
cuspids, are the largest teeth you have.
Bicuspids The bicuspids are also called the first and second
premolars.
Molars Located behind the bicuspids, the first and second
molars are important for grinding food.
Third Molar Third molars, also called wisdom teeth,
sometimes need to be removed because they can crowd the
other teeth.
Blood Vessels and Nerves Blood vessels and nerves supply
nourishment and sensation to the teeth.
Root The root is the part of the tooth that’s below the gum, and it anchors the tooth in place.
Gum Inflammation of the gum is called gingivitis.
Crown The crown is the part of the tooth above the gum.
Enamel Enamel is the protective covering of the teeth and is the hardest substance in the body.
Dentin The hard as bone dentin is the largest part of the tooth and surrounds the soft pulp.
Pulp The pulp is the soft central part of the tooth; it contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue.
Cementum Cementum is like a cement that anchors the tooth to the jawbone.
© 2017 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. All rights reserved.
Parents and childcare providers should help young kids set specific times for drinking each day because sucking on
a bottle throughout the day can be equally damaging to young teeth. Babies as young as 6 months are
encouraged to switch from a bottle to a sippy cup (with a straw or hard spout). By 12 months of age, they’ll have
the motor skills and coordination to use the cup on their own.
What your child eats affects his or her teeth. Too many carbohydrates, sugar (for example, from cake, cookies,
candies, milk, and other sugary foods and beverages), and starches (for example, pretzels and potato chips) can
cause tooth decay. How long carbohydrates remain on the teeth is the main culprit that leads to tooth decay.
The best thing you can do as a parent is to teach your child to make healthy food choices. Here are some tooth-
friendly foods to serve your children along with some other tips:
• Fruits and vegetables: Offer fruits and vegetables as a snack instead
of carbohydrates. Fruits and vegetables that contain a high volume of
water, such as pears, melons, celery, and cucumbers are best. Limit
banana and raisin consumption as these contain concentrated sugar
or if you serve these fruits, try to brush your child’s teeth immediately
after they are eaten.
• Cheese: Serve cheese with lunch or as a snack, especially cheddar,
Monterey Jack, Swiss, and other aged cheeses which help to trigger
the flow of saliva. Saliva helps to wash food particles away from
teeth.
• Avoid sticky, chewy foods: Raisins, dried figs, granola bars, oatmeal
or peanut butter cookies, jelly beans, caramel, honey, molasses, and
syrup stick to teeth making it difficult for saliva to wash the sugar
away. If your child consumes these types of products, have them
TEACH YOUR TODDLER TO BRUSH brush their teeth immediately after eating.
• Serve sugary treats with meals, not as snacks. If you plan to give your child any sweets, give them as
desserts immediately following the meal. There’s usually an increased amount of saliva in the mouth around
mealtime, making it easier to wash food away from teeth. The mealtime beverage also helps to wash away food
particles on teeth.
• Get your children in the habit of eating as few snacks as possible. The frequency of snacking is far more
important than the quantity consumed. Time between meals allows saliva to wash away food particles that
bacteria would otherwise feast on. Frequent snacking, without brushing immediately afterwards, provides
constant fuel to feed bacteria, which leads to plaque development and tooth decay. Try to limit snacks as much
as possible and to no more than one or two a day. Brush teeth immediately after consuming the snack if
possible.
• Avoid sugary foods that linger on the teeth. Lollipops, hard candies, cough drops, and mints all contribute
to tooth decay because they continuously coat the teeth with sugar.
• Buy foods that are sugar-free or unsweetened.
• Never put your baby to bed with a bottle filled with milk, formula, juice, or soda.
• Offer your child plain water instead of juice or soda. Juices, sodas, and even milk contain sugar. Water
does not harm the teeth and aids in washing away any food particles that may be clinging to teeth.
• Include good sources of calcium in your child’s diet to build strong teeth. Good sources include milk,
broccoli, and yogurt.
05339