Despite all that is known about keeping teeth healthy, the importance of good dental hygiene, and the importance of early visits to the dentist for toddlers, kids continue to get cavities at increasing rates.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that cavities in baby teeth have been increasing in recent years. On the positive side, cavities in permanent teeth of children and teens have been decreasing.
Healthy Teeth Habits
Most parents know the basics of how to keep their kids' teeth healthy, especially the importance of frequent brushing and avoiding junk food. Unfortunately, these basics often just aren't enough. To keep your child's teeth healthy, it's important that you follow specific steps:
- Clean your baby's gums, even before he gets his first baby tooth.
- Brush your child's teeth twice a day with a soft toothbrush and non-fluoride toothpaste, until he is two years old.
- Switch to a fluoride toothpaste once your child is two years old. Only use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste to help prevent fluorosis, or tooth staining, which can be caused by swallowing too much fluoride.
- If your child brushes his own teeth, be sure to brush them again for him -- until he gets very good at doing it himself (usually at age 6) -- to make sure they are adequately clean.
- Be sure to brush at least twice a day, but especially at bedtime -- all sides of each tooth, including the backsides, and the gumline.
- See a dentist for regular checkups six months after your child's first tooth comes in. If your child is at risk for getting cavities (has a close family member with a lot of cavities, drinks milk or juice at night, has an obvious cavity or tooth staining with white spots), that first checkup should take place when he is twelve months old. Pediatricians can monitor children's teeth, but many do not have any special education about healthy teeth or instructing you about good dental hygiene.
- Consider helping your child floss each day once he has teeth that touch each other, since this area between teeth is a common area for cavities to form.
- Consider dental sealants for permanent molars at around age six to reduce the risk of cavities in these teeth.
Hidden Dangers
Parents often believe the myth that baby teeth just aren't that important. After all, who cares if your child gets cavities in his baby teeth since they are just going to fall out and be replaced with permanent teeth later on, right? This is a dangerous misconception.
Poor dental habits that your child learns early in life can last a lifetime. The same things that led to cavities in his baby teeth will likely also cause him to get cavities in his permanent teeth. And if his baby teeth fall out early, it can lead to spacing issues when his permanent teeth do come in. Besides all of that, poor teeth in early childhood can lead to poor self esteem, nutrition and growth problems, pain, and infections.
Other hidden dangers to your child's teeth include:
- Eating or drinking something after your child brushes his teeth at bedtime.
- Drinking too much fruit juice throughout the day.
- Putting your child to sleep with a bottle or cup of milk or juice, or giving him milk or juice in the middle of the night.
- Eating sticky snacks, which includes many fruit snacks, raisins, dried fruit, candies, etc.
- Eating unhealthy snacks frequently throughout the day between meals, including sugary snacks, chewy candy, hard candy, and potato chips.
- Not getting enough fluoride, which is especially a problem for kids who don't drink water or only drink bottled water, which typically doesn't have fluoride in it.
- Getting a lot of added sugar in his diet from sugary cereals, unhealthy snacks, chocolate milk, etc.
To avoid these hidden dangers, be sure to brush your child's teeth at bedtime and avoid giving him anything else to eat or drink after that. Talk to your pediatrician or dentist about a fluoride supplement if your child is drinking fluoridated water, and encourage him to eat healthy snacks, such as fruits and vegetables.
Also, make sure he brushes after eating any sticky snacks, which may otherwise stick to his teeth.
