Dental Articles

Safeguard Their Smiles

What's the number one chronic disease affecting 5- to 17-year-old kids in America today? Give yourself an A+ if you answered tooth decay.

What to do:

Before teething begins...

Seemingly innocent habits like sharing a spoon with your little one can pass on decay-causing bacteria found in your saliva. And unfortunately, young infants may be particularly vulnerable to these bacteria. But if you must sample a spoonful of those pureed peaches, chew gum made with the sweetener xylitol, such as Carefree Koolerz, beforehand. A recent study found that infants whose moms chewed xylitol gum had 70 percent fewer cavities at age 5 than those whose mothers didn't.

When the first tooth erupts...

Brush baby teeth with a soft-bristled brush and fluoride-free toothpaste in the morning and at night. Excessive swallowing of and long-term exposure to fluoride can cause fluorosis, a condition characterized by white streaks on teeth. Make your baby's first dental appointment when his first tooth appears, and schedule one every six months thereafter. Ask about a fluoride varnish, a study of children ages 6 months to 3 1/2 years found that those who had biannual fluoride varnishes cut their risk of developing tooth decay by almost 75 percent.

Between ages 2 and 5...

Once your child is able to spit, begin using a fluoride toothpaste-but use only a pea-size amount to minimize accidental ingestion. Many dentists advise two minutes of brushing-one minute on the upper teeth and one on the lower. But try making that happen with a go-go-go toddler. To get yours to keep at it, try playing the "road-map game". Tell him to imagine his toothbrush is an explorer taking a trip around his mouth, and the adventure isn't over until the brush has visited all die teeth, front and back.

Through adolescence...

As your child's permanent molars start erupting, their dentist will determine whether she needs dental sealants. Considering that, according to the CDC, kids who receive sealants have 60 percent fewer new instances of decay in the back teeth (where 90 percent of decay occurs) for up to five years after a single application, that's news to smile about.