We all know that teeth troubles don’t only leave children screaming and irritable but cause much more distress to parents themselves.
Dental caries, most commonly known as cavities or tooth decay, is the single most highly prevalent infectious disease found in all populations across all ages and genders. It is the loss of hard and soft tissues of the tooth that can lead to sensitivity, infection, pain, mobility, and sometimes, loss of tooth if the decay is allowed to progress without proper treatment.
Some of the reasons for decay are due to plaque (food debris) accumulation, poor oral hygiene, poor food habits, highly acidic pH value of saliva, tooth anomalies, reduced salivary flow, radiation therapy and immuno-compromised conditions, etc.
The decay is usually caused by certain bacteria that act in the presence of accumulated food particles producing an acidic pool, which causes loss of the mineral content of the tooth and then leads to breakdown of the tooth structure.
Dental decay continues to be a significant problem even today for many children. Early childhood caries/nursing bottle caries may be found in young babies and children due to poor feeding practices like overnight bottle feeding or a prolonged contact of milk/other sweet liquids with the oral cavity.
A study carried out in 2002 and published in the Saudi Medical Journal showed the caries prevalence among school children in Riyadh to be 94.4 percent.
Another study published in the Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice in 2006 showed that caries was diagnosed in 96 percent of children between six and seven years of age in a selected community in Saudi Arabia.
The alarmingly high statistics can be blamed mostly on the intake of foods by young children that subject the teeth to decay, lack of oral hygiene practices and protective measures against cavity attack.
It should be noted that children with very poor oral hygiene and decayed milk teeth can usually carry the infection to their permanent teeth. Here are some pointers for parents to help their children achieve beautiful and healthy smiles.
Pay attention to you own oral hygiene to prevent spreading of infection to your child.
Use a wet cloth to wipe all surfaces of infant’s teeth as soon as they appear.
Always encourage water feeding after milk or juice feed to wash away sugar.
Use a smear of fluoridated toothpaste for children between one and two years of age, half a pea-sized amount for children between three to five years of age and a pea-sized amount for children over six years of age.
Always make sure you supervise your child’s brushing to prevent swallowing of toothpaste. Cavity-free children are less likely to develop decay as they grow older.
Ensure whether the water in your community is fluoridated. Fluorides make teeth stronger and less prone to decay.
Encourage your child’s visit to the dentist early. It is recommended to have a full check-up done by two to three years of age to fix problems, if any. Routine check-ups should be made every six to nine months.
Never use the threat of dentists for any reason to punish your child, as this can create phobias that will last a lifetime, preventing them from receiving due oral health care.
Continuous snacking on sticky foods, such as marshmallows, lollipops, cookies, cakes, dried fruits (raisins and apricots), hard candies and chewing gum must be avoided.
Sticky foods must be removed from tooth surfaces after eating, as they are hard to wash away by saliva. If your child can’t brush immediately, encourage water rinsing.
Foods high in sugar must be provided with meals as the large amounts of saliva produced helps to wash away the sugar.
Providing fruit juices throughout the day in sipping bottles or cups will increase the risk for cavities due to the prolonged acidic environment in the mouth.
Soft drinks and carbonated water are the worst kind of drinks for the health of teeth since they all contain high amounts of acid.
“After an acid challenge, the saliva gradually returns the calcium and phosphate back to start the repair process. So, brushing teeth immediately after having citrus fruits or juices is not advisable,” says Dr. Loulwa Al-Saud, Operative Dentistry Lecturer at the College of Dentistry at King Saud University.
Twenty minutes after eating is the best time to brush your teeth during which time the saliva remineralizes the enamel dissolved by the acid.
Nuts and milk are excellent food choices for the oral health of growing children.
Eating cheese can be encouraged after food as it helps prevent dental cavities.
Spinach, apples, pears and cucumbers are also good after-food options due to their high water content and buffering effect on acids.
It is important for parents to ensure that they are looking after the oral health of their children, as healthy teeth will go a long way in promoting confidence, proper speech development as well as contributing to the general overall fitness of children later in life.
The sooner healthy oral practices are adopted, the sooner they become lifelong habits. Parents owe their children winning smiles that will last a lifetime.
So stay fit, stay healthy and smile!
