If you’re a new parent, you may be overwhelmed with everything your child needs. Good oral health starts at birth, so it’s important to start helping your child develop good dental hygiene as early as possible. 

There are a number of oral health conditions affecting children, and if you want to avoid problems later on in your child’s life, it can help to know how and why these issues occur so you can prevent them.

Tooth Decay

Preventing tooth decay can start even before your child gets their first teeth. Sugar intake can affect the oral health of even the youngest children, but luckily, there are ways to treat and prevent tooth decay. 

The Effect of Sugar

Believe it or not, baby bottles and sippy cups can cause tooth decay. When your child falls asleep while sucking on some milk or juice, a small amount of liquid stays in the mouth, causing their developing teeth to soak in the sugar in the liquid. This exposure can cause tooth decay and lead to cavities.

Baby bottle tooth decay is a form of what’s known as early childhood caries, or cavities and tooth decay in young children. To prevent these issues, avoid giving your child sugary drinks like soda or juice, especially before bed. If they are thirsty at night, encourage them to drink water instead. Do not let them fall asleep while drinking.

A child’s diet can also affect their oral health. Because it only takes about 20 seconds for bacteria in the mouth to convert sugar into an acid that damages teeth, try to limit the amount of sugary foods your child eats. Instead of sugary snacks, encourage your child to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, or popcorn.

Fluoride

You also want to ensure that your child is getting enough fluoride. Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by making teeth more resistant to the acid that causes cavities. 

Fluoride is a mineral that’s found naturally in all water sources, and many cities add fluoride to their drinking water to help prevent tooth decay in the general population. Most toothpaste also includes fluoride.

If your city does not add fluoride to its water, you may want to consider supplementing your child’s fluoride intake with fluoride treatments at the dentist or daily fluoride drops. However, if they get too much fluoride, it can cause a condition called fluorosis, which can exacerbate tooth damage. Your child’s dentist can help you make sure they are getting enough fluoride without being too much.

Treatment and Prevention

Experts recommend scheduling your child’s first dental appointment by the time they get their first tooth or by their first birthday. Your dentist can ensure your child’s teeth are developing properly and there are no problems with tooth decay.

You can try the “tell, show, do” method at home to teach your child proper dental hygiene habits. First, tell them about the importance of brushing and flossing, explaining that it’s important to keep your teeth clean. Next, show them how to brush and floss by demonstrating on your own teeth. Finally, help your child brush and floss their own teeth, monitoring them and correcting them when needed.

Thumb Sucking

Your young child may suck their thumb as a method of self-soothing, especially if they’re teething. Most children outgrow this habit by the time their permanent teeth come in, but if they continue sucking their thumb as they grow older, it can cause tooth alignment problems and increase the chance they may need orthodontic treatment such as braces later on in life.

To stop your child from sucking their thumb as they fall asleep, try having them wear mittens to bed. Sometimes children suck their thumb because they are anxious or bored, so if you address the root cause, it may help them stop feeling the need to suck their thumb.

Tongue Tie

One of the most troublesome oral health conditions affecting children is a tongue tie. Tongue ties are a condition some people are born with in which a short band of tissue called the frenulum connects the underside of the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. This can cause issues with breastfeeding or eating, and if gone untreated, it may cause speech problems, poor oral hygiene, or abnormal alignment of the teeth.

Depending on the severity of the tongue tie, your child’s dentist may recommend surgery to cut the frenulum. A frenotomy can be performed in the dentist’s office without any anesthesia, but a frenuloplasty is used for more severe cases and does require general anesthesia.

Children’s Dentistry at Eric Felt DDS

For all your family’s dental needs, turn to Dr. Eric Felt. Request an appointment today so we can help you and your family on your path to lifelong dental health. We look forward to seeing you!