By Liz Ernst
Written for Vail Valley Dental Care
All rights reserved
Getting Children an Early Start With Excellent Home Care and Regular Dental Visits Equals a Lifetime of
Healthy Teeth and Smiles
There has never been a better time for children in America when it comes to finding excellent dental care. Today’s parents can easily arm themselves with all the tools and information they need to establish and maintain good oral hygiene habits in their children, beginning even before the very first tooth peeks through baby’s gums.
But despite all we know about proper dental care, tooth decay is on the rise among U.S. preschoolers. Three in 10 preschoolers between the ages of two- and five-years-old nationwide are developing cavities in their baby teeth, an 11-percent increase from the rate of tooth decay just a decade earlier, according to a recent National Center for Health Statistics study.
Since February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, this is the perfect opportunity to address early dental care by first acknowledging those habits that can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, and offering preventative steps parents can take in the earliest years. The goal is to start early to teach our children proper tooth and gum care and allow them to reap the benefits of a healthy smile as they grow older and become more independent.
What causes tooth decay in young children? There are plenty of obvious culprits: starchy, sugary foods stir up enamel-eroding acids in the mouth for 20 minutes after consumption. Multiply those 20 minutes by every snack your child eats in a day and you will quickly see how vulnerable young teeth are to decay.
For babies taking juice, formula or milk from a bottle the problem is compounded. When a baby is allowed to fall asleep with a bottle, the liquid pools in the mouth and can lead to serious decay in new teeth.
Tooth decay is an infection and left unchecked it can lead to severe pain, speech problems and even malnutrition. The younger the child who suffers from tooth decay, the less able he or she will be to make their complaint known to their parents or caregivers who might mistake symptoms with another childhood malady. Many adults don’t realize that very young children can suffer from cavities, and sometimes the real problem is not addressed until severe infection and pain have already set in.
The issue of fluoridated water can be controversial, particularly since too much fluoride or too little can have significant consequences. While one-third of the U.S. water supply still lacks fluoride, children in non-fluoridated areas may be at a heightened risk for dental problems. It is important to ask your dentist for information about your child's fluoride needs and how fluoride affects the teeth in order to make a choice that is best for you and your family.
###
← Back to portfolio