Many of us have suffered as kids from tooth-ache, which made even our school concentration very difficult. There is no need to repeat the same story to our children. There are certain guidelines we can follow as parents to prevent the suffering of our child from carious teeth:
No child can resist sweets. Parents, however, can arrange for them to be consumed immediately after a meal. The presence of sugar in the oral cavity for the whole day favors the growth of bacteria responsible for tooth decay. Especially with children using baby bottles, parents need to be very careful with the bottle content and the time of consumption. Even milk and juices contain sugar. Water is the best drink between meals.
Even from infancy we have to clean our baby’s mouth after meals with water and special gauze available in pharmacies. Later, when the first teeth come out, we use the special children’s toothbrushes with soft heads and a bit of toothpaste (the size of a pea). It is advisable to brush our children’s teeth together, to make sure they apply effectively oral hygiene.
By the time of his/her first birthday a visit to the dentist is necessary to make our child familiar with his/her oral hygiene. Dental check-up and fluoride application are basic steps for a healthy smile. Deciduous dentition will start to be replaced by the permanent one at the age of 5-6 years. This does not mean that you should not take care of the first teeth. Harmful effects of caries can be continued to the permanent teeth. What is more, the dentist can tell us in a relatively early stage whether our child will need braces or not.
Finally, when the first permanent teeth come out, they may need to be covered with preventive fillings (sealants) in order to smooth intense surface tooth morphology (grooves etc.), where trapped food and bacteria could cause tooth decay.
The visit to the dentist solves many questions and offers several prevention and care tips.
