February is National Children’s Dental Health Month! Here are some facts about children’s teeth and tips for childhood tooth care:
Baby teeth are important. Children need to have healthy, strong baby teeth to eat, speak, and smile. Just because children lose their baby teeth, “decay is not okay.”
Babies are born with their baby teeth already formed under the gums. Baby tooth care should start early, before the teeth appear in the mouth! A baby’s gums should be gently wiped with a soft, damp cloth after drinking a bottle or eating. This gets baby used to his or her mouth being cleaned.
Baby teeth start to come in at about 4 - 7 months of age. As soon as the first little tooth appears, it can be brushed with a soft toothbrush and a tiny smear of toothpaste, about the size of a grain of rice.
Gum pain gels are not necessary and can cause a rare but life-threatening condition called methemoglobinemia. It is better to let baby chew on a cold cloth or spoon if teething. This should relieve baby’s discomfort.
Always use a separate spoon to test baby’s food. Caregivers and parents can spread their own mouth’s germs this way. This is especially important if a caregiver has cavities or gum problems.
Never put baby to bed with a bottle with formula, milk or juice. Toddlers should not walk around with a sippy cup with formula, milk or juice. These drinks are for meals. Frequent exposure to the sugar in them can destroy baby teeth quickly. Children should be encouraged to drink only water between meals.
Lift the lip to check baby’s teeth at least once a month. White spots or lines near the gums may be the start of cavities. Baby teeth should be smooth and all one color. White, brown or black spots indicates cavities. If the teeth are being wiped or brushed daily, this should not happen.
By the time kids are 3 years old, they will have 20 teeth! Teeth should be brushed twice a day, using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste on a soft child-sized tooth brush.
Children start to lose their front teeth at about 6-7 years of age. The loss of front baby teeth and the front permanent teeth coming in are obvious. Not so obvious are the first permanent molars that erupt in the back of the mouth around the same age, making daily brushing and flossing all the more important.
Flossing, too? Yes. While baby teeth usually have space between them that the tooth brush can reach, sometimes they don’t. As soon as “teeth touch” they should be flossed to remove plaque germs that grow in between the teeth.
Baby teeth fall out over time. Kids may still have some until they are 12-13 years old. Baby teeth hold the space for the permanent teeth coming in. Tooth crowding due to early tooth loss can increase risk of decay, gum problems, and needing braces.
Cavities are the NUMBER ONE chronic disease in children, more common than asthma. A cavity is a bacterial infection in a tooth!
Dental pain affects a child’s ability to learn and thrive. Dental emergencies cost parents and kids thousands of lost school and work hours. Emergency room visits for non-traumatic dental visits have risen to over $3.5 billion dollars annually.
The cost of an amalgam (silver) filling can be well over $100 dollars depending on how much of the tooth surface is affected. Composite (white) fillings cost even more. If a tooth needs to be “capped” it can run into thousands of dollars! Compare that to the cost of a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss.
Dental decay is preventable! Brushing and flossing at least twice a day keeps cavities away. Diets high in sugar and sugar sweetened beverages also lead to cavities. A well-balanced diet helps the mouth and the body stay healthy!
Preventing childhood cavities is so important and can be easy to do but young children need a hand. Pediatricians and dentists recommend the first dental visit by age one. Children up until age nine should have help and supervision while brushing.
Please visit the websites listed below for more on the information found in this article and additional resources.
Resources and sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/index.html
https://www.ada.org/resources/community-initiatives/national-childrens-dental-health-month
https://wicworks.fns.usda.gov/topic/health-observances/national-childrens-dental-health-month
https://oralhealthsupport.ucsf.edu/news/dental-care-in-crisis-tracking-the-cost-and-prevalence-emergency-department-visits-for-non-traumatic
This blog and its posts are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or advise about any dental or medical condition. Please see your dentist or doctor for any treatment or information you need regarding your health.
