DENTAL HEALTH & HYGIENE FOR CHILDREN

The number-one dental problem among toddlers is tooth decay, with 10% of toddlers already having one or more cavities. Your kids will need your help to get their oral hygiene habits right, so here are a few tips to guide you.

If you have ever seen a baby or toddler with a bottle or sippy cup filled with fruit juice or diluted cordial, you can imagine how their early teeth have a prolonged exposure to the sugar in these drinks. So it’s no surprise that:

By age three, 28% of children have one or more dental cavities

By age five, nearly 50% of children have one or more dental cavities

Many parents assume that cavities in baby teeth don’t matter, because the teeth will fall out anyway. But that’s not true. Dental decay in baby teeth can negatively affect permanent teeth and lead to future dental problems.

TEACHING GOOD DENTAL HABITS

The best way to protect your child’s teeth is to teach them good dental habits from the earliest age. With proper encouragement, your child will quickly adopt good oral hygiene as a part of their daily routine. However, while they may be enthusiastic about brushing, they won’t yet have the control or technique to brush their teeth by themselves. You’ll need to supervise and help so that the brush removes all the plaque - the soft, sticky, bacteria-containing deposits that accumulate on the teeth that cause tooth decay. Also, keep an eye out for areas of brown or white spots which might be signs of early decay.