Fighting decay in baby teeth
Did you know that baby teeth go by many names like milk teeth, primary teeth or temporary teeth. Did you also know that they can get decayed too? Not just decayed, these baby teeth sometimes even get infected till the bone holding them and might affect their permanent successors. Now that is something we definitely don’t want so lets look at some preventive measures to keep decay at bay.
Milk or formula pools in the mouth and forms a coating on the tooth surface which attracts bacteria, creating an acidic environment making teeth prone to decay. This is further aggravated with sweetened liquids.
The teeth most commonly affected are incisors and molars. This pattern of tooth decay is called nursing bottle caries.
Pro Tip 1: Clean the gum pads, teeth and tongue after every feed.
Pro Tip 2: Pay special attention to cleaning after night-time feeds. Teeth don’t like spending long hours with milk residues, it causes them to melt.
Pacifiers are often used to soothe babies and calm them down. But if you give them pacifiers coated with honey or any sweetening agent, they pose a problem.
The sugar leads to creation of local acidic environment around the teeth leading to their decalcification that is often seen as whitish or brownish spots on the teeth.
This one is a no-brainer. From the time of eruption of the first tooth if a habit of brushing twice is inculcated, it will prevent decay not only in the milk teeth but will also protect the permanent teeth when they erupt.
Mechanical cleaning of the teeth cleans off the film of food formed on the tooth surface thereby protecting it from demineralization.
In young kids, brushing should be a supervised activity to see that the teeth get all the attention they need.
Pro tips to inculcate a brushing habit in your little one:
Make it a family activity so everyone is involved. When you brush in front of them and make it look like fun, they will just mirror you.
Turn brushing into a game. Let them play with the toothbrush, brushing the teeth of all their dolls and animals.
Play pretend with them and let them brush your teeth.
Count each tooth they brush and give them a round of applause for each time they clean all their teeth patiently.
Stand in front of a mirror so they can see how to go over each tooth properly.
Play a song they like in the background and encourage them to brush for the duration of the song. Over time the song becomes synonymous with tooth brushing and brushing becomes an activity they enjoy.
Get them funky toothbrushes with their favourite animals on them and make it an activity by saying things like, “Look who is coming to give your teeth a bath!”
You should have your baby’s first dental visit when their first tooth erupts. Your dentist will be able to guide you regarding tooth eruption and also see whether it is happening in a timely manner.
In toddlers who already have some demineralization, your dentist might recommend tooth mousse to increase the calcium and phosphate in the local environment of the teeth and increase their mineral uptake.
Prevention is better than cure but if some decay does happen it’s better to catch it early. Routine dental visits usually will prevent any infection from persisting long enough to cause discomfort to your child.
Fluoride strengthens the tooth enamel by making it harder. Fluoride toothpastes increase the fluoride in the local environment of the teeth and thereby increase its uptake on the tooth surface. This makes the teeth more resistant to decay.
For little babies less than 3 years of age who have a tendency to swallow the toothpaste use only a rice grain sized amount of tooth paste. After 3 years of age when they understand that tooth paste is not to be swallowed you can use a pea-sized amount till they reach 6 years of age.
Nursing bottle caries is extremely common due to bottle feeding and long hours of no cleaning. It is extremely important to contain it before your baby’s teeth start getting seriously infected. You can use these tips as guidelines for a proper dental care regime, and if your young ones get used to this regime their teeth will remain healthy from childhood till adulthood. They’re simple habits but give you a lifetime of benefits if followed regularly.
