When do we begin teaching dental health to our children? Abraham J. Kadish, DMD, affiliated with Chilton Hospital with an office in Butler, offers helpful hints for infants to pre-teens to encourage good dental care.
Q. When should parents begin brushing their children's teeth? A. Teeth should be brushed as soon as the teeth come in with a cloth or gauze pad. Q. When should a little one first go to the dentist? A. Children should first go to the dentist between the ages of 2 and 4. If anything looks problematic, they should go as soon as a problem is noticed.
Q. How should you brush an infant's or young child's teeth? A. Teeth should be brushed with a gauze pad when they first appear. As the children get older introduce a small, soft-bristled toothbrush with a tiny bit of fluoride toothpaste. Q. What's the best way to talk to kids about eating too much sugar?
A. This starts in the home with a diet that is high in fresh fruits and vegetables, and low in candies, processed foods and other refined sweets. Treats that are high in sugar are just that: an occasional treat. Processed foods should be avoided because they are often high in sugars and starch. Starch turns to sugar in your system, so although some foods may not appear to be a sugary, they are.
Parents need to speak to their kids about this so they can understand why they should avoid too many starchy or sugary foods and drinks. Q. How can we inspire kids to brush more than once a day? A. The habit has to be established at the earliest possible age. Tooth brushing should be made part of a child's daily routine. Parents must be persistent and require kids to brush every day, in the morning and the evening at a minimum.
Q. What's different about dental health care today than it was about 20 years ago?
A. Today's dentistry is all about prevention. Parents are more aware and children are being better educated in terms of prevention from an earlier age. Diet and life-style is a basic element in prevention.
The most significant external element is the use of fluoride in drinking water, toothpaste, pre-natal vitamins, infants and children's vitamins. And, as applied by the dentist, sealants. Sealants seal the grooves of molars and prevent decay.
The results of various methods of prevention, plus parental lifestyle habits have resulted in a generation of children who have much reduced tooth decay. However, there are infants and children who still get decay and who require fillings and more to control it.
The main thing that we've learned over the past 20 years is that tooth decay is an infection that can be prevented if the correct lifestyle elements and dental treatments are provided.
Q. Any myth busting truths?
A. The myth busting truth is that it's not inevitable that someone has to lose their teeth. Some people have good teeth and need minimal care. Most of us need some amount of care, especially preventive care. Some also need more care but the advances of dentistry provide excellent care, high degrees of success and good value for time, energy and money spent.