Children's Dental Health Month - WNCT | 9 On Your Side Greenville NC & Eastern NC News

Oral Health for Children

How Do I Help My Children Care for Their Teeth and Prevent Cavities?
Teaching your child proper oral care at a young age is an investment in his or her health that will pay lifelong dividends. You can start by setting an example; taking good care of your own teeth sends a message that oral health is something to be valued. And anything that makes taking care of teeth fun, like brushing along with your child or letting them choose their own toothbrush, encourages proper oral care.

To help your children protect their teeth and gums and greatly reduce their risk of getting cavities, teach them to follow these simple steps:

• Brush twice a day with an ADA- accepted toothpaste to remove plaque-the sticky film on teeth that's the main cause of tooth decay.
• Floss daily to remove plaque from between your teeth and under the gum line, before it can harden into tartar. Once tartar has formed, it can only be removed by a professional cleaning.
• Eat a well-balanced diet that limits starchy or sugary foods, which produce plaque acids that cause tooth decay. When you do eat these foods, try to eat them with your meal instead of as a snack-the extra saliva produced during a meal helps rinse food from the mouth.
• Use dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste.
• Make sure that your children's drinking water is fluoridated. If your water supply; municipal, well or bottled does not contain fluoride, your dentist or pediatrician may prescribe daily fluoride supplements.
• Take your child to the dentist for regular checkups.

When Should I Take My Child to the Dentist for the First Time?

Most experts recommend that you take your child to his first dentist appointment within about six months of his first tooth’s arrival, or by the time he or she turns one. However, if your toddler’s teeth are obviously discolored – you will probably want to take him or her to the dentist sooner rather than later.

What Brushing Techniques Can I Show My Child?
You may want to supervise your children until they get the hang of these simple steps:

• Use a pea-sized dab of an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Take care that your child does not swallow the toothpaste.
• Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, brush the inside surface of each tooth first, where plaque may accumulate most. Brush gently back and forth.
• Clean the outer surfaces of each tooth. Angle the brush along the outer gumline. Gently brush back and forth.
• Brush the chewing surface of each tooth. Gently brush back and forth.
• Use the tip of the brush to clean behind each front tooth, both top and bottom.
• It's always fun to brush the tongue!

When Should My Child Begin Flossing?
Because flossing removes food particles and plaque between teeth that brushing misses, you should floss for your children beginning at age 4. By the time they reach age 8, most kids can begin flossing for themselves.

What are Dental Sealants and How Do I Know if My Child Needs Them?
A dental sealant creates a highly-effective barrier against decay. Sealants are thin plastic coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of a child's permanent back teeth, where most cavities form. Applying a sealant is not painful and can be performed in one dental visit. Your dentist can tell you whether your child might benefit from a dental sealant.

What is Fluoride and How Do I Know if My Child is Getting the Right Amount?
Fluoride is one of the best ways to help prevent against tooth decay. A naturally occurring mineral, fluoride combines with the tooth's enamel to strengthen it. In many municipal water supplies, the right amount of fluoride is added for proper tooth development. To find out whether your water contains fluoride, and how much, call your local water district. If your water supply does not contain any (or enough) fluoride, your child's pediatrician or dentist may suggest using fluoride drops or a mouthrinse in addition to a fluoride toothpaste.

How Important is Diet to My Child's Oral Health?
A balanced diet is necessary for your child to develop strong, decay-resistant teeth. In addition to a full range of vitamins and minerals, a child's diet should include plenty of calcium, phosphorous, and proper levels of fluoride.

If fluoride is your child's greatest protection against tooth decay, then frequent snacking may be the biggest enemy. The sugars and starches found in many foods and snacks like cookies, candies, dried fruit, soft drinks, pretzels, and potato chips combine with plaque on teeth to create acids. These acids attack the tooth enamel and may lead to cavities.

Each "plaque attack" can last up to 20 minutes after a meal or snack has been finished. Even a little nibble can create plaque acids. So it's best to limit snacking between meals.

What Should I Do if My Child Chips, Breaks or Knocks Out a Tooth?
With any injury to your child's mouth, you should contact your dentist immediately. The dentist will want to examine the affected area and determine appropriate treatment.

If your child is in pain from a broken, cracked or chipped tooth, you should visit the dentist immediately. You may want to give an over-the-counter pain reliever to your child until his/her appointment. If possible, keep any part of the tooth that has broken off and take this with you to the dentist.

If a tooth is completely knocked out of the mouth by an injury, take the tooth to your dentist as soon as possible. Handle the tooth as little as possible — do not wipe or otherwise clean the tooth. Store the tooth in water or milk until you get to a dentist. It may be possible for the tooth to be placed back into your child's mouth, a procedure called reimplantation.

How Do I Care for My Baby's Teeth?
Good oral care starts from the beginning of your child's life. Even before his or her first teeth emerge, certain factors can affect their future appearance and health. For instance, tetracycline, a common antibiotic, can cause tooth discoloration. For this reason, they should not be used by nursing mothers or by expectant mothers in the last half of pregnancy.

Since baby teeth usually emerge around six months of age, standard oral health procedures like brushing flossing aren't required for infants. However, infants have special oral health needs that every new parent should know about. These include guarding against baby bottle decay and making sure your child is receiving enough fluoride.

What is Baby Bottle Decay and How Can I Prevent It?
Baby bottle decay is caused by frequent exposure, over time, to liquids containing sugars. These include milk, formula, and fruit juices. The sugary liquids pool around the teeth for long periods of time as your baby sleeps, leading to cavities that first develop in the upper and lower front teeth. For this reason, you shouldn't let your baby fall asleep with a bottle of juice or milk in his mouth. Instead, at naptime, give your child a bottle filled with water or a pacifier recommended by your dentist. If you breast-feed, avoid letting the baby nurse continuously. And after each feeding, wipe your baby's teeth and gums with a clean, damp washcloth or a gauze pad.

When Should Your Child Visit an Orthodontist for the First Time?

Even though most people think of preteens and teens when they think of orthodontics, there are good reasons your child should visit Warren & McCall Orthodontics for a no-charge orthodontic evaluation much sooner. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a check-up with an orthodontic specialist no later than age 7.

Here are the reasons why your child should get an orthodontic check-up no later than age 7:

1. They’re free of charge to you. Many people don’t realize that an orthodontic evaluation at Warren and McCall Orthodontics doesn’t cost you anything. Having one of our orthodontists simply evaluate your child is free of charge. But it can pay big dividends in peace of mind and the knowledge about what future treatment your child may need.
2. Our orthodontists can spot subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while some baby teeth are still present.
3. While your child’s teeth may appear to be straight, there could be a problem that only an orthodontist can detect.
4. The check-up may reveal that your child’s bite is fine. Or, the orthodontist may identify a developing problem, but recommend monitoring the child’s growth and development. And then, if indicated, may begin treatment at the appropriate time for the child. In other cases, the orthodontist may find a problem that can benefit from early treatment.
5. Early treatment may prevent more serious problems from developing and may make treatment at a later age shorter and less complicated, or avoid it altogether.
6. In some cases, the orthodontist will be able to achieve results that may not be possible once the face and jaws have finished growing.
7. Early treatment may give your orthodontist the chance to:
• Guide jaw growth
• Lower the risk of trauma to protruded front teeth
• Correct harmful oral habits
• Improve the function and health of your child’s bite
• Improve appearance
8. Through an early orthodontic evaluation, you’ll be giving your child their best opportunity for a healthy, beautiful smile.

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