Caries is a common problem among young children that cannot be ignored.
Few people know that a baby should be shown to a specialist as early as 6-8 months, if at least one tooth has come out, and then go to the dentist every six months. And even fewer parents follow these recommendations.
Yes, visiting a dentist is not always pleasant and sometimes expensive. But you should not indulge yourself with the thought that you don't need to take special care of the baby's milk teeth, because they will fall out anyway. Caries on children's teeth can easily develop into pulpitis even before your child starts school.
And this will be a completely different treatment and a much greater waste of nerves.
So, what you need to know about children's caries, in addition to the fact that the teeth must be regularly shown to the doctor.
Tooth decay looks different
At the initial stage, this may be a white speck that you can hardly distinguish, and therefore you will not see a reason to go to the dentist. But at the stage when there is a brown spot, the child will probably begin to complain of pain. And this is already an advanced stage.
Most often, decay on milk teeth begins with the upper incisors, and not with the chewing teeth.Caries can be infected
Yes, yes, this is not a hereditary predisposition and not just a consequence of eating sweets and poorly brushing your teeth. If you lick a baby's nipple or brush, then the risk of caries in a child increases significantly.
Caries is caused by streptococci
Streptococcal bacteria, which are in the mouth of every person, break down carbohydrates (read - sweets) into lactic acid. And she, in turn, destroys the enamel. The more carbohydrates - the more acid and the closer caries. Especially with insufficient oral care.
Caries does not occur from breast milk
If your baby does not eat anything except breast milk, but he already has teeth, he is not threatened with caries. Milk contains a lot of calcium, it helps to strengthen the tooth enamel, and lactose, which is also abundant in milk, promotes the absorption of calcium.
Tooth decay occurs from bottles before bed
Of course, not because of the bottles themselves, but because of their contents. If the child drinks a mixture, compote, sweetened water before bedtime and goes to bed without brushing his teeth again (or drinks at night and again does not brush his teeth), then bacteria actively multiply in his oral cavity, acid. It gradually destroys enamel and forms caries.
It is important that a child who eats not only milk, but also "adult" food, gets enough water. Then his saliva will be less thick, it will wash his teeth well and slow down the process of caries formation.You will also be interested to read:
- First aid kit for a baby - which you can't do without
- How to properly brush teeth for children - dentist advice
- 10 things kids inherit from dad
