Is my child at risk of early childhood tooth decay?

The average healthy adults to visit the dentist twice a year. On average, healthy 2-year has never been to the dentist. In kindergarten, 25 percent of children have never had a dentist, but tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among children in America.

The culprit? A combination of misinformation about when a child should first visit the dentist when a parent should begin to ensure a child's teeth and the frequency and prolonged exposure to sugary liquids with a child's teeth.

A child should first visit the dentist six months after the eruption of the first tooth. During this initial examination, the dentist can teach parents the best way to guard against cavities young child's teeth by wiping with a damp cloth after each meal and to remind parents to limit sugary drinks.

Frequent and prolonged exposure of a child's teeth to sugary liquids are generally bottle tooth decay. Most parents are aware of the baby bottle tooth decay, may, but do not know that the long term and regular consumption of sugary liquid in a bottle or cup is increasingly teeth of children to an increased risk of decay .

"Unsweetened juices, tea and water are always good for children to help promote overall health and oral," says the Academy of General Dentistry spokesperson Cindi Sherwood, DDS.

Fruit juice causes tooth decay that children are entitled to a bottle, cup or juice box in the mouth during the day.

"If untreated, the baby bottle tooth decay can cause pain and infection," says Sherwood. "Teeth are important because they hold the place for permanent teeth and help to correct the positions. May déchéance serious teeth must be acquired on the development of permanent teeth, speech and chewing. "

Dental care for children from infancy promotes good habits for oral health for a lifetime and increases the prospects for maintaining healthy teeth.

Tips for parents to reduce the risk of early childhood tooth decay:
• weaning of the child breast or bottle by age 1.
• Use sealed cups on a stage in the development of children, not a solution for the long term.
• Do not allow children to use the sealed cups throughout the day. Skip airtight cups for snacks and meals at high-activity saliva helps to clean teeth.
• Drinking sugary drinks through a straw. The best waterproof saucers to protect against decay are those of a rubber flexible straws.
• Develop habits of oral health early. Wipe baby's gums with a damp cloth after each meal. Establish brushing with a soft brush and water when the first tooth appears. Parents can add to the size of a pea dab of fluoride toothpaste on the toothbrush by age 2.