How to avoid tooth decay in baby teeth

Teeth are known to not only chew food, but also to help speak and pronounce words clearly. Teeth in childhood, through chewing activities, promote the development and growth of the face and jaws. If people do not have healthy teeth, it will not only increase the burden of gastrointestinal function, but also have a greater impact on the health of the whole body. The deciduous tooth stage is an important period for children's growth and development, and it is also a good period for tooth decay, so it is necessary to pay attention to oral hygiene, so protecting teeth is also an important part of health care.

However, some mothers think that baby teeth should be removed and replaced with permanent teeth anyway, so the health care of baby teeth is not paid much attention to. Professional dentists tell us that the protection of teeth must start with baby teeth, because "baby teeth are diseased, permanent teeth are not good". Baby teeth are the chewing organs of childhood and the guide for the eruption of permanent teeth in the future, and the quality of baby teeth has a decisive impact on the healthy development of children. Sick baby teeth, even if they are replaced with permanent teeth, can cause tooth malocclusion and tooth decay.

More than 90% of the world's population suffers from dental disease, and children are particularly affected by dental caries. Some children start to turn yellow and black after a few months or six months after the front teeth erupt. It is mainly manifested on the labial surface of the maxillary deciduous anterior teeth, and extensive superficial caries destruction, commonly known as "bottle caries".

So, how to protect baby teeth from caries and be healthy and strong?

When baby teeth erupt, children often like to bite hard objects such as toys, so they should be more careful to prevent them from biting hard objects and other sharp objects and damaging the gum mucosa. Most children have congested and edema of their gums during teething, and will drool, and sometimes have trouble sleeping, fever, etc. On the one hand, this is related to the stimulation of tooth eruption, and on the other hand, it is also related to the change of the baby's diet, because at this time, they have gradually changed from breastfeeding to ordinary foods such as porridge and rice, and the body is not able to adapt immediately.Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the cleanliness and hygiene of infants and young children during the teething period and strengthen nursing. For example, after each meal, you should be fed plain water to clean the mucous membrane of the mouth and gums.

In addition, the addition of complementary food should be paid attention to as soon as possible, step by step, from soft to hard, which can be added from four months, and gradually transition from rice cereal, fish, and eggs to rotten porridge, minced meat, and vegetable puree in five or six months, so that the digestive system can gradually adapt, and can exercise the chewing function in time and stimulate tooth eruption. After most baby teeth erupt, you can gradually add biscuits, lean meat, soy products and other hard, chewable foods to your child to further promote the development of teeth and jaws.

Once the baby teeth are in place, it is time to help your child practice rinsing their mouth. The gargle time is chosen within a few minutes after eating. From the age of two and a half, they should be taught the correct way to brush their teeth. By the age of five or six, brush your teeth every morning and evening. At the same time, it is also necessary to develop the habit of rinsing your mouth after meals, brushing your teeth before bedtime, and eating less sweets. In addition, parents should check the child's oral cavity frequently, detect caries in time, and treat it immediately to stop the development of caries.

How to take care of baby teeth?

Switch to drinking milk from a cup as early as possible

Young children are more resistant to toothbrushes, mommy can use gauze dipped in a little fluoride mouthwash (wet enough) to help the baby clean, wipe the baby teeth, or use finger sleeves (sold on the market, the top is granular) to clean, after one year old, about 15 months of age, you can use a children's toothbrush to brush the baby's teeth.

In addition, after the soldest year of age, the baby should be allowed to switch to a cup to drink milk, it is recommended to use a training cup to help wean the bottle, and start using it at bedtime; At the same time, avoid drinking and sleeping while holding a bottle, and the time of each milk drink should be controlled within 20 minutes.

Use a groove filler to reduce the chance of tooth decay

Some teeth have uneven grooves (especially the occlusal surface, which is difficult for parents to clean with a toothbrush, so tooth decay can easily start from these gaps), it is recommended that a paediatric dentist use a groove filler (a clear or colored resin) to fill the grooves to facilitate cleaning and reduce the chance of tooth decay.

Even if you drink breast milk, you still need to take the cleansing step

Breastfeeding and formula milk babies are the same in the care of baby teeth, if you can't avoid drinking milk while sleeping, breastfeeding babies are also easy to decay, parents must not be negligent.In addition, bringing the first baby tooth to the dentist for examination can be detected in time when tooth decay first occurs, and the teeth can be cleaned and fluoride applied, and the remedial measures should be taken, and the parents should be reminded of the precautions.

Some parents ignore the importance of quitting bottles and pacifiers, and the child is still using the bottle nipple at the age of one or two, which also causes problems such as the mouth is warped, the teeth bite is affected, and even the mouth cannot be closed.

China does not implement drinking water fluoride like European and American countries, so the tooth enamel will be relatively weak, and the baby will ingest candy, biscuits and other sugary foods in addition to drinking milk, so the teeth have poor defense against bacteria, and cleaning is more important.