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Caries already in small children Together for strong milk teeth
Although milk teeth will eventually fail, it is extremely important that they are properly cared for. Even small children should therefore learn to brush their teeth systematically. This contributes to a caries-free dentition.
In the Enlightenment there is pent-up demand
According to health experts, tooth decay is increasing more and more in infants. About 15 percent of them are affected. One reason is that due to lack of dental visits hardly education on nutrition and oral hygiene could take place. There is obviously a lot of catching up to do here. On the occasion of the Day of Dental Health 2017, experts inform about important topics.
You can not start with oral hygiene early enough. Milk teeth need careful care. (Image: Kristin Gründler / fotolia.com) Many children do not go to the dentist
According to research, about two-thirds of children do not go to the dentist. A conscientious oral hygiene can not start soon enough.
Milk teeth must be thoroughly cleaned. Because they are the best prerequisite for a healthy permanent dentition.
The initiative "ProDente" explains in a communication on the day of dental health under the motto "Together for strong baby teeth" how important the early care of the teeth is.
Early oral hygiene
Parents usually watch proudly when the first tooth of their offspring breaks through. For most babies, this happens from the sixth month of life. From this age, a children's toothbrush with soft bristles should be used as a solid morning and evening ritual.
In the first two years of life, a thin film of child's toothpaste with a fluoride content of 500 ppm is sufficient once a day. Study data show that locally acting fluoride from toothpaste provides better protection against tooth decay than fluoride tablets.
From the second birthday on, you should clean twice a day with a pea-sized amount of this fluoride-containing infant toothpaste.
Clean teeth with a system
Depending on their level of development, children aged three to four should use a toothbrush themselves. Now it's time to practice, practice, practice. The KAI method is used: first the occlusal surfaces, then the outer and finally the inner surfaces of the teeth.
As easy as it sounds, a child can not do it without help. It is necessary for the parents to freshen up until school time (about second grade). By the end of elementary school, children's dental care should be checked.
Educational toothbrushes with cool motives such as dinosaurs, pirates, fairies or unicorns motivate the little ones to brush regularly. Even electric toothbrushes can be interesting for little techies. As a motivation for Zahnputzmuffel are also picture books on the subject and CDs with tooth cleaning songs.
Baby bottles caries
Infants and toddlers love to suckle. This calms down and suits her natural need for suction. However, if the Nuckelflasche is filled as a constant companion with sugar and acidic drinks, there is a risk of Nuckelflaschenkaries.
Bacteria in the mouth transform sugars into acids that can decalcify and slowly destroy the tooth. If the drinks contain additional acid, this effect is intensified.
"By constantly bottle nippling, often at night for self-service of the toddler, the teeth are constantly washed around by sweet or sour and thus create favorable conditions for the caries bacteria", explains Prof. Dr. med. Dietmar Oesterreich, Vice President of the Federal Dental Association.
"Suitable drinks are water and unsweetened tea. After all, fruit juices, which of course also contain sugar, can lead to severe destruction if they are consumed too often - starting with the anterior teeth in the upper jaw. Once a baby can sit, it should be used to drinking from the open cup. "
It is also important to ensure that children do not eat too many sweets. And what many parents do not know: Milk also harms the milk teeth. Because if the teeth are constantly washed around with it, the milk sugar (lactose) that is contained can damage the teeth over time.
Precaution for the little ones
Already for babies and toddlers regular, scheduled dental appointments are recommended.
The first screening test in the first year of life should be after the breakthrough of the first deciduous teeth, ie from the sixth month of life. Depending on the individual disease risk, quarterly to half-yearly controls may be useful.
The regular appointments familiarize the child with the visit to the dental practice. At the same time, parents receive important information about dental care and nutrition. The dentist can recognize incipient pathological changes and counteract them.
At the age of six, the first permanent molars are usually already present. Children should then use toothpaste for adults with higher levels of fluoride (1,000 to 1,500 ppm).
Since in the dimples of the molars - also called fissures - caries can quickly arise, the occlusal surfaces must now be cleaned very thoroughly with the breakthrough. Dentists advise to seal the fissures of these molars to reduce the risk of caries.
Prophylaxis pays off. According to "ProDente" study results showed that today eight out of ten of the 12-year-old children are caries-free. The number of caries-free dentition has therefore doubled between 1997 and 2014. (Ad)