I’m a dentist and the biggest problems we see in little children is from sleeping with milk or juice. It causes massive decay on the front 4 top teeth, to the point where they can’t be fixed, or they need tacky “chiclet” crowns made of stainless steel with a white facing. Use a wet terrycloth to wipe their gums even before they get teeth so they get used to you touching their mouth(they will usually fight you anyways, but they do accustomate better). Then wipe their teeth at least once a day when they come in.
Some kids like to chew on a toothbrush, so by all means let them—just don’t expect them to have the dexterity to clean their own teeth till about 6 years old. Use a disclosing tablet or mouthwash(like Agent Cool Blue) if you don’t believe me. They leave a LOT of plaque at the gumline. Also kids swallow toothpaste, so a non-fluoride or kids toothpaste is recommended when they’re really young. And only use a dab half the size of a pea–commercials get us to waste a lot of toothpaste.
Also know that “fruit snacks” are really just cleverly marketed gummy bears and that junk mashes between teeth and can cause decay fast. Since the enamel on kids teeth is a lot thinner than adult teeth, it takes less than 2 weeks to go from healthy to cavity on a tooth.
I really recommend products with Xylitol, a natural sugar that blocks the most acidic bacteria in the mouth from utilizing sugar. Studies show that MOTHERS who chew 3-6 pieces of xylitol gum a day from months 6-24 of a young baby’s life, have kids who have 93% less cavities their WHOLE LIVES. Mainly because they are transfering less acid-producing bacteria to their kids when they kiss them, clean their baby spoons or pacifiers by putting them in their mouths, etc.
Also, don’t be one of those parents who thinks, “They’re just baby teeth, they’ll get new ones”. If baby teeth are lost early it usually causes crowding and requires braces to fix. Also the adult teeth will erupt later if the root isn’t half formed, leading sometimes to speech delays, lisps, etc. The baby teeth create a path for the adult teeth to come into the mouth naturally.
Ouroboros, thank you for that. I will never forget one if our patients who was two and a half coming for a post op exam begging me to give her, her front teeth back. And those porcelain crowns were such a pain to repair when the children would chip the porcelain off.
Good to know about the Xylitol gum. I’ll keep that in mind when I have my next child.
Xylitol is great. You can even buy it in bulk now to use as a natural sweetener. Another thing I was told causes problems in young children is sippy cups. They cause drinks to pool in the mouth. You should try to get your toddler to drink out of a regular cup asap.
My son had his first trip to the dentist a couple of weeks ago, and it was a nightmare! His teeth are fine, but he wanted nothing to do with it!
Ouroboros1, thank you so much for the tip about xylitol, I will definitely be looking for this in my shops! Is it something you buy only at the dentist or can you get it in a pharmacy? Karma to you for the excellent advice, we will be seeking out a paediatric dentist I think!
Xylitol has been big in Europe for a while, and it was a lucky accident that they found out about its cavity reducing effect. In the US it’s just starting to catch on, as we don’t have ready facilities to produce a lot of it. Your best bet is probably to buy it online, I doubt many pharmacies will have it in bulk. Here are some companies that sell it:
I took my son to the dentist a few months back and the receptionist was telling me about a gel they can put over his teeth to prevent decay. I can’t remember the name of the gel. Its like 15 dollars per tooth. Some of my friends don’t think I should worry about doing it because he will change those teeth. I would like to know if it’s worth getting this gel. Thank you
These are most likely topical fluoride. The nicer ones paint on and taste better, in the past we had foams or “tooth mousse” ask you call it. They help keep teeth mineralized and hard.
Enamel is a crystal and you can compare it to a full soda can when it is full of minerals. You can stand on a full, unopened soda can. When it’s empty though, it’s easy to collapse. Enamel is the same way, when it lacks minerals if collapses and creates a hole or “cavity”.
For kids we usually do fluoride once a year, especially if kids have a high risk, but they shouldn’t be done daily by parents because kids can swallow too much floride, which creates mottling and deform adult enamel formation and color if it’s taken in a high enough quantity. We see this sometimes with kids who drink well water that has too much flouride.