Caring For Your Child’s
Teeth
Article contributed by:
Parkway Dental Practice
Maintaining tip top
levels of oral hygiene
for your infant or
tantrum throwing toddler
is often not at the top
of every young mother’s
priority list.
While your baby may not
have any teeth yet, it
does not negate the need
for good oral hygiene
practices. It is
advisable to clean your
baby’s mouth and gums
with an infant
toothbrush or soft wet
cloth. This not
only helps to keep the
oral cavity clean and
healthy in anticipation
of the eruption of the
milk teeth, it also
prepares the child to be
ready for the brushing
of teeth to come when
his first tooth appears.
We recommend caregivers
to start the tooth
brushing regime as soon
as the first tooth
appears in the mouth.
The teeth and gums
should be brushed in a
gentle and ‘fun’ way
using an appropriately
sized children’s
toothbrush with water ,
twice daily, preferably
once in the morning and
once before bed.
Caregivers can start
introducing a pea sized
amount of
non-fluoridated or low
dose fluoridated (in
areas where drinking
water/milk is not
fluoridated) toothpaste
for children aged 2-6
years. The use of
fluoridated toothpaste
is advocated only under
the direct supervision
of an adult because for
a child at that age,
anything that goes in
the mouth is considered
food. The
caregiver’s role is to
limit the amount of
toothpaste used and to
remind the child to spit
out the toothpaste after
brushing.
A child that unwittingly
swallows small amounts
of fluoridated
toothpaste over a long
period may end up with
permanent teeth that are
mottled and discoloured,
a condition termed
fluorosis. Adult
guidance and
encouragement also
ensures that the child
is gradually gaining
confidence and
developing the dexterity
needed to battle against
dental decay. We
hope that your child
would be able to brush
their teeth, using
self-effort by the age
of 4-5 years. The
caregiver would however
still need to check
their work and instill
awareness if the child
is missing out on
certain areas (e.g. the
gum line etc.) or starts
to get complacent.
From age 7 onwards, the
child should be able to
carry out tooth brushing
on his own without
direct supervision.
A child’s who is able to
tie his own shoelaces or
write in cursive will
have sufficient
dexterity to use a
toothbrush in an
effective manner.
The child would also be
able to understand that
not everything that goes
in the mouth ought to be
swallowed. They
can start making the
transition to normal,
fluoridated toothpaste
without any worries.
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Diet
Our diet continues to
play a crucial role in
the development of tooth
decay. Studies
have shown that children
who are old enough to
incorporate other food
or beverages into their
diet and who continue to
be breastfed for long
periods after the first
tooth appears, are at a
higher risk of
developing tooth decay.
Also, though it may be
comforting for the child
to have their milk
bottles filled with
sweetened milk or juice
within easy reach for
their consumption
throughout the day or
night, it is actually
extremely damaging for
their teeth.
There is a strong body
of evidence to
demonstrate the
association between
frequency of sugar
intake and dental decay.
Every time the child
takes a sip of that
sugary goodness, it’s
also meal time for the
bacteria present in the
mouth, as they
metabolize the sugar
present to form acids
that eat away tooth
structure, hence causing
dental decay. This
sugar attack is made
worse when it takes
place at night because
salivary flow is
lowered. Our
saliva play an essential
role in the battle
against tooth decay as
it acts as a buffer
against initial pH
changes, provide the
medium for ionic
exchange and contain
immunoglobulin’s that
defends against oral
bacteria. Though
your child might be
sleeping better through
the night when having
his sippy bottle nearby
within reach, the
bacteria in their mouths
are hard at work every
time a sugar attack
takes place.
The same applies as well
to carbonated beverages
as they are acidic and
erodes tooth structure
causing cavities.
It is best to encourage
your child to drink
their milk or juices
quickly when feeding,
and sip plain water as a
habit, to prevent early
onset of dental decay.
When the child is old
enough to reach into
cupboards for snacks,
make sure those
cupboards are not filled
with sugar loaded food
or carbonated drinks for
the very same reason!
It might seem like a
dream come true for your
child to have unlimited
access to sugary treats
initially, but soon
enough, it will turn
into a nightmarish
experience of unexpected
pain episodes due to
dental decay, need for
fillings and teeth
pulling at the dentist’s
office.
Healthier alternatives
to these sweet treats
should be considered
instead and a great
alternative would be
cheese. Cheese now
not only come in
fanciful packages that
appeal to children, they
are also packed full of
calcium and phosphorous,
excellent for your
child’s developing
dentition and bones.
They also stimulate
salivary flow when eaten
and hence can help
neutralize acids
produced by bacteria as
well as clear away food
debris that bacteria
would be glad to feast
on. You can help
make your child’s visit
to the dentist way more
pleasant and cheaper
too, if you keep those
sugary treats for
special occasions.
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Dental Visit
The appearance of the
child’s first tooth is
an excellent occasion to
celebrate with a child’s
first dental visit.
Cultivating good oral
hygiene practice from a
young age goes a long
way. Studies have
shown that children who
attend for dental
checkups from a young
age tend to have fewer
cavities and lower
levels of dental disease
compared to those who do
not. The visit
provides your dentist
with the opportunity to
check if the timing of
the eruption of your
child’s dentition are as
expected, identify and
advice against practices
that may cause damage to
the child’s teeth, as
well as dispense
appropriate instruction
to cultivate the correct
oral hygiene habits from
a tender age.
Also, it will be a more
pleasant experience for
the child if his first
visit to the dentist is
not during an emergency
situation, where
throbbing pain from a
toothache or reeling
from the after effects
of having a tooth pulled
is all they remember of
the visit. While
we can try to minimize
the trauma and go on
about the tooth fairy’s
visit later on but that
traumatic first visit to
the dentist will more
than likely remain
etched in your child’s
memory and manifest as
some form of dental
phobia for many years to
come. Prevention is
better than cure and
getting your child to
the dentist early also
allows the child the
opportunity to get
acquainted and
accustomed to the
clinic’s environment as
well as build a rapport
with the dentist, making
future visits more
pleasant and fruitful.
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Fluoride
Low dose fluoride has
been shown to be
beneficial in the
development of teeth
that are more resistant
to dental decay.
It also has the
potential to reverse the
decay process during its
early stages. Some
countries, including
Singapore, fluoridates
its water supply as a
preventive strategy
against dental decay.
Another convenient
source of fluoride would
be from toothpastes
currently available in
the market. Though
most toothpastes sold
have a fluoride content
of between 1100-1500ppm,
it is advisable to read
the labels to be sure.
In geographic areas that
do not receive
fluoridated drinking
water, fluoride can be
added to milk, consumed
as a supplement or
applied on the teeth by
the dentist. The
need for such forms of
delivery will be
dependent on a dental
decay risk assessment by
your dental
practitioner.
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Sealants
It is common
misconception that since
milk teeth will
eventually be replaced
by permanent teeth,
there is less need to be
as meticulous with
regards to their care.
This is definitely not
the case and getting
this right will bring
significant benefits to
your toddler’s
wellbeing.
The milk teeth features
prominently in a child’s
first twelve years of
live. They allow
the child to chew food,
learn to speak and
ultimately act as space
guardians for the
developing permanent
teeth. Early loss
of milk teeth often
results in the loss of
space for the permanent
successors. Space
loss complicates the
teeth eruption pattern
and sequence of the
child’s permanent
dentition, causing a
variety of issues such
as dental crowding,
crossbites due to tooth
displacement and in
severe cases, tooth
impactions.
Deep dental decay in
milk teeth will require
some form of restorative
procedure, or even
extraction in severe
decay, and the memory of
this unpleasant
experience may put your
child off any form of
dental treatment for
many years to come.
Not only does decay of
milk teeth cause poor
appearance, it can also
result in much agony for
your child should the
decay extend all the way
to the nerve in the
tooth. Infections
can arise as a result
and can interfere with
the development of
permanent teeth below
the milk teeth.
Unfortunately, the
problem does not end
there.
Dental sealants are thin
layers of resin (a type
of plastic) coating that
are applied over deep
fissures that are
commonly found on molar
and premolar teeth.
Deep fissures are common
starting points of decay
in young children as it
easily accumulates food
debris and cavity
forming bacteria besides
being located at hard to
reach areas. The
placement of sealants is
a quick, simple and
painless procedure.
We recommend sealants to
be placed on the biting
surfaces of your child’s
permanent molars, which
start to erupt at about
6 years of age.
Children whose milk
teeth are at risk of
decay can also have
sealants placed on them,
especially the baby
molars. Not only
do sealants serve the
purpose of protecting
your child’s teeth,
allowing your child to
experience uneventful
and pleasant dental
visits will ultimately
provide him with an
excellent opportunity to
build self-confidence,
get comfortable and
acquainted with the
dental environment and
staff.
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Article contributed by:
Parkway Dental Practice
Dated: September 2014
Parkway
Dental
Practice
is a group
dental
practice
located in
the central
part of
Singapore.
Our
experienced
team of
dentists and
specialists
aim to
provide the
community
with
affordable
multidisciplinary
oral care in
a safe and
comfortable
environment.
Our clinic
is equipped
with the
latest
diagnostic
technology
and
equipment,
enabling us
to practice
at the
forefront of
modern
dentistry. |
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