Around 42% of children aged two to 11 have had dental caries in their primary (milk) teeth, with black and Hispanic children and kids living in lower-income households having a particularly high rate of decay, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. If you thought that cavities in milk teeth had little importance, think again. An infected tooth can affect other teeth and cause a child unwanted pain and discomfort. Dental hygiene should begin early, but that doesn’t just mean avoiding tooth decay. It also means visiting the dentist early to spot any potential issues that should be dealt with sooner rather than later, and teaching children good oral hygiene practices that they can carry forward into adulthood.
Dental Visits Should Start Early
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) advises that children visit the dentist for the first time by the age of one or six months after their first tooth emerges from the gum. In fact, the average age at which parents take their child to the dentist is at the age of 2.6. The AAPD stresses that early visits are important because they can save a child’s primary teeth, which are key for many reasons. Even though a primary tooth will fall out, while it is in place, it helps children chew properly (so they can enjoy a wide variety of foods), it plays a role in speech development, and it saves space for permanent teeth to grow into. Visiting your dentist is vital for another reason, however. Dentists are often your child’s first teacher when it comes to the importance of caring for their teeth.
Teaching Your Children How To Clean their Teeth
Most pediatric dentists place great importance on teaching children how to clean their teeth. They teach kids how to hold the brush at the correct angle, how to clean at the gum line (not only on the tooth’s surface), and how to floss. Dentists can also recommend ways to get kids more motivated about cleaning their teeth. For instance, there are a plethora of brushes that come with a smartphone app. These apps have cute characters that take your child through the brushing process every day. These characters show how long the brush has to be kept on each tooth, ensuring that children don’t rush through the process. Parents should ideally supervise their children’s brushing technique until the age of 10 or 12. They should also ensure that kids spend a minimum of two minutes (twice a day) on this task.
When Orthodontics Are Required
If milk teeth are lost too early, permanent teeth can emerge prematurely and grow crooked because of limited space. Keeping milk teeth healthy can also delay the need for orthodontics. Around 30% of orthodontic cases are caused by the premature loss of baby teeth. Orthodontics themselves provide children with interesting information about the way that teeth grow and move, so if your child does need braces, use them as an opportunity to teach your child about what they do. You can do this with older children by showing them a short video animation about braces and how they move teeth to their right place. Sometimes, orthodontists can treat very young children in an effort to reduce the amount of time they need to wear braces later in life. They can help widen the palette if it is evident that teeth will not have enough space to grow. They do this through the use of a palatal expander, with some orthodontists beginning this type of treatment on children as young as six.
Cleaning Too Should Begin When Teeth Erupt
You can also start an oral health routine from the time your baby is born. This will not only help your child learn how to brush their teeth when they are older, but also make dental hygiene part of their daily routine from the earliest stage. For babies, simply wrap a clean piece of gauze or cotton around your finger, dip it into clean water, and wipe the upper and lower gum pad. Once the first tooth erupts, you can start using a soft brush and water. At the age of 18 months, a little low fluoride toothpaste should be added to the cleaning process. Teach your child to spit out the toothpaste without rinsing afterwards.
Many parents are surprised to learn that dental hygiene should begin before their baby even has any teeth. Early dental hygiene and care help make baby understand that cleaning their teeth is as important as eating, bathing and sleeping. Early dental visits, meanwhile, can help prevent a host of problems in the future. They can also reduce anxiety, which older children can experience when they are taken to the dentist for the first time.
Article submitted by: Karoline Gore
Images : by George Becker of pexels.com
