Children can be fussy and stubborn when it comes to their dental hygiene; therefore, parents have to watch over them regularly to ensure that they practice their general oral hygiene daily. Unfortunately, many parents do not pay much attention to children’s teeth at their tender age, the dental agency reported. According to the dentists, 40 percent of children tend to suffer from tooth decay by the time they reach kindergarten.
Usually, parents believe that their children’s milk teeth will eventually fall off and assume that all the dental issues will automatically disappear. However, what they do not know is that poor dental hygiene causes children’s teeth to fall well before their time, which creates various dental issues affecting new permanent teeth. So what can parents do? Here, we discuss how they can help their children protect their teeth.
Early oral care
To protect children’s teeth, parents are advised to take their children to the dentist by the time they are one year old. Such visits will help detect dental issues earlier and will also help reinforce preventive techniques. Not only do these visits ensure children’s dental health, but they also help save money. According to the CalDentalClinic.com dental agency, issues that are detected earlier require less expensive treatment, even by following the preventive techniques, you can lower the chances of suffering from dental problems.Start brushing and flossing
To keep children’s teeth protected and healthy, parents need to make sure that they promote brushing and flossing as soon as possible. The dentists recommend brushing, even when the child has just one tooth. The dentists also encourage brushing of the gums when children have no teeth. However, flossing should only be done when children’s teeth begin to touch one another. This early oral hygiene will prevent bacteria and plaque from forming and causing damage to the teeth. It will also enforce the habit of brushing and flossing in children.
Baby bottle decay
Parents will often leave their children’s bottle of milk or juice in their mouth and put them to sleep. This act tends to have a negative impact on children’s teeth. Wondering how? Let’s find out. The sugar from milk or juice clings to the child’s teeth. The sugar then promotes the growth of the existing bacteria in the mouth.
The bacteria produce acid, which causes tooth decay. When tooth decay is left untreated, children’s teeth are damaged, and they can even experience difficulty in speaking. Thus, to protect children’s teeth, parents should never leave a bottle of milk or juice in their children’s mouths. If children do not sleep without the bottle, then parents should try putting water in the bottle.