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First visit of your child to Dentist
Ideally,
your child's first dental visit should be by the age of 2-3
years. Your dentist will check for tooth decay and other problems,
teach you how to clean your child's teeth daily By starting dental visits early,
you'll help your child to maintain good oral habits
When is the right time to start cleaning baby's teeth?
As the first tooth appears the cleaning of baby's
tooth should be started to remove any deposits
with the cottoin or clean white cloth.
Can babies get cavities
as the tooth erupts?
Yes.As soon as teeth appear in the mouth, decay can occur. One serious
form of decay among young children is baby bottle tooth decay.
This condition can occur when an infant is allowed to nurse continuously
from a bottle of milk, formula, sugar water or fruit juice during naps or at
night. If these liquids pool around the child's teeth during sleep, the teeth
will be attacked by acids for long periods of time, and serious decay can
result. If you must give your baby a bottle as a comforter at bedtime, make
sure it contains only water. And never dip a pacifier into sugar or honey.
Painful
teething
It occurs at the age of four months and 2 ½ years
when the child teeth eruption starts and the gums become sore and tender .
The pain can be relieved by applying wet gauze
or by rubbing child's gums .or applying ice or giving child to chew teethers.If
there is fever then it is not due to teething.Consult your doctor for further
treatment.
Thumb
sucking
Children sucks his thumb till the age of 2 to
4 years.Some children continue it till later age And if they dont leave the
habit then the oral changes can occur leading to potusion of the upper jaw or
teeth,then its necessary to conult your child dentist
Tooth Decay
Tooth decay can be due to caries or early
trauma to child tooth and if the primary tooth is lost before the permanent tooth beneath it is
ready to erupt it may cause the other euoting tooth to occupy the space leading
to malocclusion of teeth. It is necessary to maintain the spce for the permanent
tooth to come at the proper place Consult your dentist and he may recommend using a space maintainer to reserve
space for the permanent tooth.
Baby Bottle Tooth Decay
This condition may result in very early age in
which the
upper front
teeth gets decayed due to caries or
other teeth
may also be affected. .This
condition results when you give your child
a bottle of juice or sweetened milk at naptime or bedtime These habits can cause your baby's
teeth to decay.
Decay occurs when sweetened liquids are
given and is left around teeth for
long time.
Bacteria in the mouth use these sugars
as food. They then produce acids that attack the teeth.After repeated
attacks the tooth gets decayed.
To prevent the decay,
after
each feeding, wipe the baby's gums with a clean damp washcloth or gauze pad.Make
a habit of child to brush at the age of
2 ½ years.
Why are baby teeth important?
Your child's baby teeth are important. Children need strong, healthy teeth to
chew their food, speak and have a good-looking smile. Baby teeth also keep
a space in the jaw for the adult teeth. If a baby tooth is last too early, the
teeth beside it may drift into the empty space. When it's time for the adult
teeth to come in, there may not be enough room. This can make the teeth
crooked or crowded.
Should my child always brush right before bed?
Yes. If you don't get rid of the germs (bacteria)
and sugars that cause cavities, they have all night to do their dirty work.
Plus, when your child is asleep, he or she does not produce as much spit (or
saliva). Saliva helps keep the mouth clean. So brushing at bedtime is very important.
Fluoride and Your Child
Fluoride is a mineral found in nature. It makes the hard outer layer of teeth
(called enamel) stronger. When the outer layer is strong, teeth are less likely
to get cavities.
Children can get fluoride in 4 ways:
Adding fluoride to the water is the best way to
provide fluoride protection to a large number of people at a low cost. That's
why many towns and cities put fluoride in the water. Fluoride is also in most
toothpastes.
Preventive measure for your child teeth
-
Make a habit of cleaning
teeth after bottle feeding
-
If child is of
2 ½ - 3 years,Help him to brush
properly
-
Prevent him to eat sticky
food or more sweets in a day
-
Night time toothbrushing
is very important.
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If your area hass less
flouride content in water then gets flouride treatment
done by your dentist or e ill prescribe the flouride
toothpaste.
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visit your dentist after
every six months.
Dental Visit
Here are 3 reasons to take your child for dental check-ups:
-
You can find out if the cleaning you do at home is working.
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Your dentist can find problems right away and fix them.
-
Your child can learn that going to the dentist helps prevent problems
In most cases, a check-up every 6 months will let your child's dentist catch
small problems early.
Your child needs to see the dentist by age 2 or 3, when all the baby teeth
have come in. Your dentist may want to take x-rays. They show decay
between the teeth. They will also show if teeth are coming in the way they
should. Your child's dentist may talk to you about fluoride.
Once your child has permanent molars, your dentist may suggest sealing
them to protect them from cavities. A sealant is a kind of plastic that is put
on the chewing surface of the molars. The plastic seals the tooth and makes
it less likely to trap food and germs.
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