Tips to Prevent Tooth Decay in Young Children
Tooth decay is a problem that can strike any person at any stage of their life. Even young children are not immune to dental caries, as their dietary choices are easily the biggest culprit. The decay to tooth happens when bacteria start to eat away the enamel (the outer protective layer) of a tooth. So, being a parent, your focus should be on teaching good oral habits to your kids and help them prevent a bacterial attack to their pearly whites. With a little care, you can always put your kids on the right path of oral care.
Here are the 5 important tips to prevent tooth decay in young children:
1. Teach Your Child Good Oral Habits
It’s the responsibility of parents to teach their child good oral habits. They also need to teach their kids to brush and floss every day and prevent the risks of bacteria. You should also clean the baby’s gums with a soft damp cloth or soft brush and remove plaque. Use a soft brush only when the first teeth appear as then you can use a small amount of fluoride toothpaste for brushing. You can start flossing the teeth of the baby only when their teeth touch each other.
2. Beware of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay
As a parent, you must prevent your baby from any prolonged contact with sugars, whether in formula or breast milk. You also need to be aware of baby bottle tooth decay, which is caused when a baby is allowed to sleep with a bottle in their mouth. When the bottle is taken away, the mouth bacteria will not be able to produce acids and the baby teeth will be prevented. More so, it’s also important to clean the teeth after feeding at night to prevent bacterial risks.
3. Keep Tab on Sugary Drinks and Juice
Keeping your child away from the excessive consumption of sugary drinks and juice will definitely help prevent tooth decay in a big way. Sugar is bad for anybody as it leads to the creation of acids responsible for tooth decay. Worse still, the acids in juices or energy drinks can also harm the teeth in a big way and their limited consumption should be the rule for children. These drinks are not only bad for babies but also have no nutritional value.
4. Introduce Healthy Foods
Healthy foods have no substitute for oral health. If your child eats nutritious foods, this will help reduce the risk of tooth decay in a big way. You should offer your kids meals that include fruits, vegetables, milk, whole grains, and yogurt. Together with avoiding sugar-free foods and drinks, it’s also important to keep the baby away from foods and items that are sweet and sticky as they can cause tooth decay in a big way. Healthy foods can go a long way in preventing oral health and tooth decay in your child, and you should always prefer it over anything else.
5. Make Them Drink More Water
Drinking water is always beneficial. Young children can minimize the risk of tooth decay when they drink plenty of water daily. For kids, it’s important to replace the sugary milk in the bottle with water and keep them away from the harm of acids. You can teach your kids to drink water as it ensures more production of saliva in the mouth and this is how food debris plaque and bacteria don’t cause harm. And last but not the least; you should not forget to take the kid to the best dentist Bushwick every six months for professional consultation.