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By following the information in this guide, you and your family could
have healthy teeth and gums to last a lifetime. As a parent, you can
work with your children to help them understand why good oral care is
important — and show them how to do it right!
Four Steps to a Bright Smile
1. Brush at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste,
especially after eating breakfast and before bedtime.
2. Floss every day.
3. Limit the number of times you eat snacks each
day.
4. Visit your dentist regularly.
It’s easy to guide your family toward good oral health. All it takes
is the right information and a little practice to keep them moving in
the right direction!
In this section, learn about:
How to brush
How to floss
Fluoride
Snacking and tooth decay
The dental checkup
Preventing early childhood cavities
How to brush
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How to floss
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Fluoride – your family’s best defense
Fluoride is the best cavity fighter you can find as you
guide your family to a lifetime of bright smiles! It keeps
the whole
family’s
teeth strong — no matter what their ages.
How fluoride works
Every day, the enamel on teeth is attacked by acids produced
in dental plaque. These acids can make teeth weaker, and can
result in decay.
That’s where fluoride comes in. When it reaches your teeth, fluoride
is absorbed into the enamel. It helps to repair the enamel and prevent
tooth decay. It can even help stop the decay process.
How to get fluoride
You can get the benefits of fluoride from different places. It
can work from the outside of your teeth, and from the inside
of your body. To work the best, you need to get it both ways!
At home, you and your family should brush with fluoride toothpaste
at least twice a day, especially after eating breakfast and before
bedtime.
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Snacking and tooth decay
If fluoride is our greatest protection against decay, then frequent snacking
can be our teeth’s biggest enemy. Every day, you and your family
face snacking challenges. Here’s what you need to know:
It’s how often you snack that matters
The truth is that what your family eats isn’t as important as when
and how often they snack! It all has to do with the “plaque reaction,”
and this is how it works:
The plaque reaction
Everyone has plaque bacteria in their mouths. But when these
plaque bacteria meet up with the sugars and starches that are
found in snacks such as cookies, candies, dried fruits, soft
drinks, or even pretzels or potato chips, the plaque reacts to
create acid, and a “plaque attack” occurs.
The fact is, most snacks that you eat contain either sugars or starches
that give plaque this opportunity to make acid. And each “plaque
attack” can last for up to 20 minutes after you have finished your
snack. During this period, the plaque acid is attacking tooth enamel,
making it weak. That’s when cavities can start!
Fighting back against plaque
The good news is, you can take a stand against plaque! By brushing twice
daily with a fluoride toothpaste and by reducing the number of times
you snack each day, you and your family can help prevent tooth decay.
When it comes to snacking, it’s best to choose something nutritious
and to snack in moderation. It’s also better to eat the whole snack
at one time! Here’s why: Eating five pieces of a snack at one time
exposes your teeth to
possible tooth decay — for approximately 20 minutes. Nibbling on
those same five pieces at five different times exposes your teeth to
possible tooth decay for approximately 100 minutes. What a difference!
You need to watch baby’s sweets, too!
Infants are just as susceptible to decay as older children
and adults. In fact, Early Childhood Cavities can be a very serious
condition. See The Preventing Early Childhood Cavities section
below for more information.
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The dental checkup
The dentist is your family’s partner on the Bright Smiles
pathway. Be sure to schedule regular dental appointments for
the whole family. A child's first visit should take place before
his or her third birthday.
Dental checkups early in a child’s life allow children to have a
positive dental health experience.
TIP: Take your young toddler with you
to your own appointment first. That way, the dental office becomes
a familiar place.
Your dental checkup: what to expect
Fluoride treatments:
Your dentist may treat your child’s teeth with extra fluoride in
the form of a gel to make teeth stronger. This gel goes in a tray that
fits into the mouth that children wear for a few minutes to let the fluoride
sink into
their teeth. It comes in neat flavors for kids!
Dental sealants:
These are thin, protective plastic coatings
applied by the dentist to the permanent back teeth (molars). They fill
in the grooves on the chewing surfaces of the teeth where foods and bacteria
can get stuck and cause cavities. Once applied, sealants can last for
several years.
X-rays: These “pictures” show
the dentist what’s going on inside the teeth and beneath
the gum line. During the x-ray, your child will wear a lead apron
to prevent unnecessary exposure.
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Preventing early childhood cavities
(sometimes known as Baby Bottle Tooth Decay)
Early Childhood Cavities is a childhood disease that can be prevented.
The following steps can help guard your baby against this painful condition – and
ask your dentist or physician for more information.
It’s best not to put a bottle in bed with baby. But if
you must put a bottle in bed with baby, put only plain water
in it. Any liquid except water, even milk and juice, can cause
cavities.
You can use a bottle to feed your baby at regular feeding times, but
allowing the bottle to be used as a pacifier can be a major cause of
cavities.
• Hold your baby while feeding him. If baby falls asleep, remove the bottle
and put him in bed.
• Avoid putting baby to sleep with a bottle.
• Avoid letting your toddler walk around with a bottle.
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