by Scott Munro, DDS
More than one-third of the children under the age of 17 in the United States are cavity free. You can improve your children’s chances of avoiding cavities by following these six basic rules:
- Eat well during pregnancy and take care of your own teeth.
A baby’s teeth begin forming before he or she is born, so be sure to get plenty of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, C, and D, the building blocks of healthy teeth during pregnancy. Also, it is important that expecting parents have regular dental cleanings and exams to make sure that they are maintaining proper oral health. Oral bacteria is usually passed from parents to children. If a parent has lots of bad bacteria in their mouth (ie. Untreated cavities, heavy plaque, or gum disease), they are more likely to pass this bad bacteria to their child. This “window of infectivity” is usually between the ages of 6 to 36 months.
- Take care of primary teeth.
Primary (baby) teeth can develop cavities from the time they begin to appear (usually between 6 and 10 months of age), so they should be cleaned daily, especially before bedtime. At first you can clean your child’s teeth by wiping them with a piece of gauze or damp washcloth. Your dentist may have “tenders,” a washable cloth that fits right over your finger to make this even easier. This is most effective when a child only has their front four teeth. After more teeth erupt use a soft-bristled child’s toothbrush that fits your child’s mouth easily and won’t scratch the gums. Have your child sit next to you and lean his or her head backward on your lap, so that you can see all the teeth easily. Be sure to lift your child’s lip so that you can visualize and clean along the gum line of both the front and back teeth.
- Avoid nursing-bottle syndrome.
Nursing-bottle syndrome is now called Early Childhood Caries (ECC). This is usually the result of giving a child a bottle or sippy cup with milk, formula, or fruit juice at bedtime or for prolonged periods of time during the day. The sugars in those liquids feed the bacteria in a baby’s mouth. The bacteria then produce acids that can gradually dissolve tooth enamel. When the baby is asleep there is very little saliva in the mouth to wash away the acids and protect the teeth. The front teeth may quickly develop severe decay and even crumble away. This is totally preventable by not allowing your child to go to bed holding a bottle or sippy cup with anything other than water. If your child must go to bed with a bottle, dilute the juice or milk with water and be sure to brush the teeth once the child falls asleep. Continue adding more water and less juice or milk each day until you are giving only straight water. This should take not longer than 30 days. If you what your child to stop cold turkey, children may often cry when put to bed without the bottle or sippy cup. This may occur for a few nights but eventually it stops.
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