Helping your child to care for their teeth from a young age will help them grow up with a healthy mouth and good dental habits. Good oral hygiene should start from a young age. Make regular visits to the dentist with them in order to monitor their progress, and always instill the importance of taking care of one's self. There is no time like the present when it comes to laying the foundation for your child's health.
Why should I pay such close attention to my child's teeth?
Teeth play a important role in the overall development of a healthy child. Healthy teeth are essential for the development of speech, the ability to eat, and for having radiant smiles. Baby teeth lay the foundation for the development of adult teeth, thus mapping out the position for new teeth to come through. It is vital to care for newly developing adult teeth, because if damaged, there will be no new teeth to replace them.
When will my baby's teeth grow in?
Teeth start to develop in the womb. These are usually deeply hidden within the gum at birth.
“Milk teeth” is the term used for a child's first set of teeth. They are made up of 20 teeth that erupt around the age of 6 months. The spurting of milk teeth usually ends at the age of 2-3 years old, giving your child their full complement.
Around the age of 5-6 years old, milk teeth become loose and fall out. Permanent adult teeth then start to come through. Once they all erupt, there will be a total of 32 teeth in their adult mouth. Most of these will arrive by the age of 12-14. Wisdom teeth are the last addition to the adult mouth. These are large molars at the furthest point of the mouth. These do not usually erupt until early to mid twenties. In some cases, they do not develop at all.
What damages your children's teeth?
Trauma: Children are prone to falling down, and possibly damaging their teeth in an accident. If your child's tooth ever chips, or comes off completely, place any fragments into a glass of milk and contact your dentist as soon as possible. Ideally, get to the dentist within the first hour of the trauma, that way there is a greater likelihood that the dentist can restore it.
Tooth decay: All mouths are full of bacteria and food stuff which collectively forms plaque. The layer of plaque will contain sugar, which is broken down by bacteria. This leads to the formation of acid which dissolves the tooth and causes decay. This will be especially prominent in children who have a high sugary intake from sweets and fizzy drinks. The probability of decay is increased if there is a poor brushing habit. If teeth are not treated by the dentist, decay will worsen, leading to toothaches, abscess and ultimately extractions for extreme cases.
Tooth erosion: This is the gradual wearing away of the tooth surface caused by acid from fizzy drinks, fruit juice and squashes. Even sugar free versions can cause erosion of teeth, and they should therefore be avoided or minimised. Erosion will lead to sensitivity and pain as the tooth does not grow back. Ultimately, erosion may necessitate fillings to restore them and provide further protection.
Both decay and erosion are preventable diseases of the mouth.
So how can you protect your child's teeth?
Taking your children along with you to your own checkups* will allow them to become accustomed to the dental environment. Allowing them to listen to the sounds, and to attain a sense of the surroundings, will help them to prepare them for their own future visits. The earlier these visits begin, the more relaxed and in control they will feel during their first checkup. The dentist will examine the child by counting their teeth, assessing their development and noting early decay. Children will need more regular checkups as baby teeth have a thinner enamel, which allows decay to spread quickly. Regular checkups will help the dentist to advise you on prevention of decay and toothache.
(*This is not recommended if you are undergoing long and complex treatment during your dental visits.)
Tooth brushing
It is best for you to clean your child's teeth as soon as they start coming through with special age specific brushes. Make brushing part of your child's day-to-day routine after breakfast and just before bedtime. When your child reaches the age of 6, and their adult teeth begin to develop, it may be a good idea to consult a dentist to be instructed on how to mange their teeth. They will now need to use different toothpaste and modify their brushing technique. A great aid to encourage brushing is to use disclosing tablets. These highlight the plaque around the teeth and help your child identify the areas to be cleaned.
Diet
Reducing the amount of sugar and fizzy drinks will help to avoid erosion and reduce the chance of tooth decay. The duration of the tooth's exposure to sugar and acid will determine the extent of damage. It is best to limit this exposure to meal times and to stop snacking between meals. Also it vital to understand that certain foods have hidden sugar. Breakfast cereals are a great example of this. It is therefore very important to have a balanced diet which includes fruit, vegetables, milk and cheese. By modifying how meals are given, acid can be neutralized. Sugar can be flushed from the mouth by eating cheese and drinking milk at the end of meals.
Toothpaste
Toothpaste is a vital tool for the prevention of tooth decay. Most pastes contain fluoride, which help to form a more decay-resistant tooth. The incorporation of fluoride helps strengthen teeth and reduces the extent of decay experienced. Too much fluoride, however, can result in a change in the appearance of the tooth by creating a mottled surface characterised by brown or yellow marks on adult teeth. This is known as dental fluorosis. In order to avoid this, it is important to understand the amount of fluoride in your toothpaste.
Younger children below the age of 3 should have no more than 1000ppm (parts per million) of fluoride in their toothpaste, while older children can use up to 1500 ppm. To reduce ingestion of fluoride for children below the age of 3, use only a smear of paste on their brushes and follow the manufactures instructions. Always discuss your concerns with your dentist to achieve the best toothpaste and oral hygiene technique for your child. A dentist may recommend other fluoride supplements for high-risk children in the form of tablets or mouthwashes.
Fissure sealants
Certain areas in the mouth can present with an increased risk of tooth decay. The dentist seals these areas, preventing decay. Large molar teeth that have very deep crevices (fissures) are difficult to clean effectively. These teeth are particularly at risk because they have crevices where sugar can easily stagnate. These fissures can be sealed with resin sealants, which are quick and easy to place. The sealant can last for many years but need regular review from your dentist. This is a very safe process which is recommended by the British Society for Paediatric dentistry (1) for appropriate cases, as results have shown marked reduction in tooth decay.
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