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Your child’s pacifier is one of their first best friends in the world; they can offer comfort, interaction, communication and help reduce stress, just like any best friend would. There does come a time, though, when it’s important to consider reducing your child’s exposure to their pacifier or binky because it can begin posing serious issues when it comes to the alignment of their jaws, mouth, and teeth.
When Should You Start Flossing Your Child’s Teeth?
Once your toddler begins to grow their first baby teeth, it’s an exciting time with lots of changes and challenges ahead. It’s recommended to begin caring for their teeth even before these first few adult teeth begin to grow. Preparing your infant for oral hygiene is a great first step, and their progress, along with your guidance, will help set your child up for healthy teeth and gums in the future.
How to Prevent Childhood Cavities
Getting your child started on the right track to optimal oral hygiene can be one of the greatest things you can do for them. Teaching them proper brushing and flossing habits at toddler age can prevent your child from having major, potentially painful, issues in the future. Although 100% preventable, tooth decay is one of the most common of childhood diseases. While checkups and cleanings are an essential part of overall health, about 20% of childhood cavities go untreated, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). With the help of your pediatric dentist, you can come up with a good plan to ensure your child’s dental hygiene is exactly where it should be, from infancy into adulthood.
How to Keep Tooth Enamel Strong
You hear a lot about tooth enamel in commercials and at your dentist’s office but what is it? The outer surface of our teeth is referred to as enamel. It’s the hardest and most mineralized substance in the human body. Because it’s translucent, the color can range from off-white to slightly yellow and is partially responsible for the color of your teeth. Enamel has many jobs, but most importantly, it helps protect our teeth from decay, or more commonly known as, cavities. It serves as a barrier between the inner layers of your teeth and the foods and drinks with which they come into contact. For these reasons and more, it’s important that we protect our tooth enamel, as it cannot be replaced once it is damaged or eroded because it does not contain any living cells, unlike our bones.
5 Best Snacks for Healthy Teeth
Everything your kids eat can impact the health of their smiles, even down to those quick snacks we choose to give them in a pinch. The good news is there are some snacks out there that can actually help their teeth and prevent future decay or cavities. According to the ADA, there is a correlation between the foods we eat and overall mouth health. While some foods are better than others, making good choices to help maintain healthy teeth will be easy with the incorporation of these tasty treats.
How Medications Can Affect Your Child’s Dental Health
If your child is sick, their pediatrician may prescribe medicine to alleviate symptoms or knock out a bacterial infection. There will likely be information available as to possible side effects or interactions with other drugs, but there might not be any information about potential effects of that medication on their dental health. In this article, we take a brief look at the most commonly prescribed medications for children, and how these medications can affect your child’s dental health.
How to Keep Your Child’s Toothbrush Clean
As a parent, you’re probably concerned about keeping your child healthy. With all those things you might worry about — like air and water quality, sick kids at school and babies putting dirty objects in their mouths — fretting about your child’s toothbrush is probably not at the top of that list. But did you know that an average toothbrush might contain 10 million bacteria?
We often do things out of habit and don’t even think about them. For example, you probably store your family’s toothbrushes on or near the bathroom sink, which, in most bathrooms, is close to the toilet. Do you always close the lid before you flush? If not, bacteria from toilet spray can settle on nearby surfaces, which might include your toothbrushes. Yikes!
Grinding Teeth: How to Break Your Child’s Bad Mouth Habits
Did you know that 15% to 33% of children grind their teeth? Fortunately, this is mostly done when their baby teeth and permanent teeth are coming in, and children typically stop grinding before it becomes a serious problem. However, some kids continue to grind their teeth, and if that occurs, it needs to be addressed. So, what are the dangers and how can you stop a child from grinding their teeth?
How Can Thumbsucking Affect Your Child’s Teeth?
Many young children suck their thumbs. Childhood thumbsucking is a natural reflex, and whether they suck on their thumbs, other fingers, pacifiers or other object, it may make babies feel happier and more secure. But when does thumbsucking become a problem? And how can thumbsucking affect your child’s teeth?
How to Prevent Gingivitis
If you notice any redness in your child’s gums or they’re complaining of soreness, it may be an early sign of gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease. But even before symptoms appear, a child may be at risk of developing this dental problem, which is why preventative care is so very important.