How to prevent baby tooth decay

Teeth are very important to us, but oral hygiene is often ignored by parents, especially for infants and young children whose deciduous teeth will fall out, so it is wrong to ignore the health of deciduous teeth! So what are some ways to prevent baby tooth decay?

The harm of dental caries in infants and young children

Pain from caries in deciduous teeth: Caries in deciduous teeth can cause pain, which reduces chewing function and weakens gastrointestinal digestion and absorption, causing picky eating and loss of appetite, leading to malnutrition of the body and affecting growth and development.

Unable to pronounce correctly: Infancy is a period of learning language, and complete deciduous teeth help children master correct pronunciation. Severe caries in the deciduous front teeth area make some children shy and unwilling to speak, which is very detrimental to the psychological development of children.

Missing teeth and uneven arrangement: Dental caries causes premature loss of deciduous teeth, resulting in the displacement of adjacent teeth to the gaps, causing disordered occlusion and uneven dentition.

Misconceptions about protecting baby teeth

Sleeping with a bottle in your mouth: Since saliva secretion decreases during sleep, the self-cleaning function of the mouth is greatly weakened. If you fall asleep with a bottle in your mouth, the liquid remaining in your mouth will become an excellent culture medium for caries-causing bacteria in your mouth.

Excessive love of snacks: In addition to affecting the baby's normal diet, eating too many snacks can increase the risk of tooth decay. The snacks that children love to eat are often rich in sucrose. Increasing the frequency of eating also increases the risk of tooth decay.

Baby brushes his own teeth: Because brushing teeth is a delicate movement, and the ability of babies is limited. Parents should help their children clean their teeth throughout the preschool period. If parents are busy at work, they must help their children brush their teeth at night.

No oral examination: The first oral examination for infants and young children should be done after the first tooth erupts, at the latest before 12 months of age. Oral examination can help to understand whether there are any bad feeding habits. The most important thing about oral health care is prevention.

How to prevent baby tooth decay

The fetus relies on the mother: the deciduous tooth germs begin to form when the fetus is 6 to 7 weeks old. The mother's health and nutritional status during pregnancy are inevitably related to the child's teeth. The mother should properly supplement various nutrients to allow the child's tooth hard tissue to form calcification.

Infants and young children who rely on feeding: Because their diet is rich in sugars and carbohydrates, they are prone to tooth decay. Parents should pay attention to feeding and never let their children sleep with a bottle in their mouth. It is best for the mother to use gauze wrapped around her fingers and dipped in water to gently wipe the tooth surface to remove food residues and plaque after breastfeeding or at night.

Prevent caries during school age: around 6 years old, deciduous teeth begin to fall out and permanent teeth gradually erupt. Pay special attention to the sixth molars. It is important to keep the upper and lower teeth in occlusion and maintain the facial shape. To protect children's sixth molars, it is best to take them to the hospital for caries prevention treatment.