According to an online article written by Dr. Anthony Mendicino, DDS and Laurie Turner Finger, RDH in February, 2018, forty percent of children may have tooth decay before they enter kindergarten. That’s a very surprising statistic. The article goes on to say: “Tooth decay or Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is the single most common chronic childhood disease affecting children today in the US. Tooth decay can compromise the health, development and quality of life in children both short and long term.”
In fact, tooth decay can cause many problems such as depression and dental infections and abscesses. The critical issue is to start teaching your children early about preventing tooth decay. The authors suggest the following:
1. Have your children visit a dentist early so that the dentist can begin monitoring tooth development.
2. Do not allow your baby to fall asleep sucking on a bottle with milk or any sugary liquid. Sugar coats the teeth and causes tooth decay.
3. Be sure to begin brushing your children’s teeth as soon as one emerges. Do not wait until they have many teeth to brush them and be sure to teach your children how to brush them too.
4. Investigate whether your drinking water has fluoride. If not, consider some type of supplements. Fluoride has been shown to reduce tooth decay.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.