As you can imagine the most important dental health problem is dental caries.
One in 10 2-year-old children already has one or more dental caries.
At 3 years of age, 28% of children have one or more dental caries.
At 5 years of age, 50% of children have one or more dental caries.
Many parents believe that dental caries on baby or baby teeth are not important because they will fall out in the future. But this is not true. Tooth decay in baby teeth can negatively affect permanent teeth and lead to future dental health problems.
Teach good dental hygiene
The best way to protect your child's teeth is to teach him good dental habits. With proper guidance, you will quickly adopt good oral hygiene as part of your daily routine. However, while you may be an enthusiastic participant, you won't have the control or focus to brush your teeth yourself. You will need to monitor him and help the brush remove all the plaque, the soft, sticky bacteria, which contain deposits that build up on the teeth, which is what causes tooth decay. Also pay attention to areas with brown or white spots that can be signs of dental caries.
Brush
As soon as your child has a tooth, you should help him brush twice a day with a small amount (about the size of a grain of rice) of fluoride toothpaste in a special soft-bristled children's toothbrush. There are brushes designed for different needs of children of all ages, be sure to select a toothbrush that is appropriate for your child.
Amount of toothpaste or toothpaste
At 3 years old, you can start using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste to help prevent cavities. If your child doesn't like the taste of toothpaste, try another flavor or use only water. Also try teaching your child not to swallow it, even though at this age they are too young to learn to rinse and spit. Swallowing too much fluoride toothpaste can cause white or brown spots to appear on your child's adult teeth.
Brushing motion
They will give you all kinds of advice on the best brushing motion up and down, back and forth or around in circles. The truth is that the direction is not important. What is important is cleaning each tooth completely, up and down, in and out. This is where your child will put up resistance, as he will likely focus only on the front teeth that he can see. It may help if you play a 'find the hidden teeth' game. Incidentally, a child cannot brush their teeth without help until they are older, approximately six to eight years. Be sure to supervise or carry out brushing if necessary.
Excess sugar
In addition to regular brushing with the appropriate amount of toothpaste, your child's diet plays an important role in his dental health. And of course sugar is the number one villain. The longer and more frequently your teeth are exposed to sugar, the greater the risk of tooth decay. Foods with 'sticky sugar' like candy, gum, and dried fruit, particularly when it stays in your mouth and soaks your teeth with sugar, could be harmful to your teeth. Be sure to always brush your child's teeth after eating sugary foods. Also, do not allow your child to have any liquid containing sugar in a baby cup for a long period of time.
What do you think?
Tell us about your experience with your family's dental hygiene. Leave us your opinion in the comment box.
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