Dentistry
Useful Dental Habits for Children
By Dr Kaizad Kermani
According to the National Institute
of Dental and Craniofacial Research:
(NIH), ‘forming good habits at a young
age can help your child have healthy
teeth for life’. Below are a few tips that
you should keep in mind.
Give me the
children until
they are seven
and anyone can
have them after
that.
T
his is an old adage that speaks
volumes on how influential
these early years are on a
child’s behavioural, physical
and psychosocial development with a
view to inculcate habits that may well
last an eternity.
Children need healthy teeth to help
them chew and to speak clearly.
Healthy teeth can also boost their
confidence, allow adult teeth to erupt
in sequence and in the right direction
by acting as space maintainers. The
oral cavity acts as a gateway to the
body!
Gum disease is extremely rare in
children and if diagnosed, is often
associated with a syndrome or immune
disorder, which may result in the loss
of their teeth. It is caries (tooth decay)
that are rampant in children, with no
predilection, striking the rich and the
poor worldwide.
Brushing the Right Way: Teach them
good habits of brushing in the right
way and start using a pea-sized
amount of fluoride toothpaste when
they are two years old. Start sooner
only if a dentist suggests it, as young
children tend to swallow toothpaste,
and swallowing too much fluoride
toothpaste can cause permanent
stains on their teeth. Teach children
brushing without making it too much
of a chore.
Encourage good eating habits:
Educate children to avoid sweets,
sticky foods and between-meal
snacks. Encourage them to opt for
fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese,
crackers and even cold cuts. The
message here is to look at snacks
that are not cariogenic (foods that
encourage caries formation) and are
preferably fibrous in consistency. In
fact, with diseases like diabetes on the
rise worldwide, it is imperative to let
children live a lifestyle that is healthy!
Give them a baby cup: Baby bottles
filled with juices or milk can create
additional problems, as the natural
and artificial sugars stay in contact
Cavities are holes that are
formed when bacteria called
streptococcus mutans start
residing in the mouth and use
the sugar in food to make acid
that eats away at the teeth.
Children are at risk of getting
cavities if they eat a lot of
sugary and sticky foods and/
or drink a lot of sweet sugary
fluids. A child can be at a
further risk if he or she has any
of the following risk factors:
• Premature or low birth
weight
• Are of special health care
needs
• Have spots that are brown
or white on their teeth
• Irregular or poor visits to
the dentist
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After The Bell
with the teeth for a long time. This can
cause rampant tooth decay. Never put
a baby to bed with a bottle. Do not
allow him/her to walk around during
the day with a bottle. Teach your child
to use a drinking cup around his or her
first birthday.
Visit the Dentist when they are
still babies: The American Dental
Association recommends that parents
take their child to a dentist no later than
his or her first birthday. Thereafter,
subsequent visits will give the dentist a
chance to look for early problems with
your child’s teeth, review important
information about diet, bottles, teeth
brushing and fluoride use as well as
help your child become comfortable
with his or her dentist. This establishes
the good habit of regular dental
check-ups and also to consider referral
to a pediatric dentist who specialises
in treating children’s dental health.
Encourage children to give up bad
oral habits: Children should be
encouraged to give up habits such as
thumb sucking or lip biting after the age
of four and look for tongue thrusting
habits, so that early management can
prevent disturbances in the position
and function of a child’s teeth.
Good dental practices begin with the
parents. The tips outlined should help
to make it easier for your child to enjoy
great dental health.