Protecting Those Little Teeth
Tooth care basics
When it comes to looking after your children’s teeth, there are a few simple rules to follow.
Diet – limit sugary foods and acidic drinks to mealtimes. In your
child’s first few years, you might want to avoid cakes, biscuits and
fizzy drinks completely.
Brushing – for ages 4-6 years, you should supervise your children as
they brush their teeth twice a day with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. For the best ways to brush, check out our Brushing Demo.
Dentist visits – take your child to the dentist regularly so you can catch any problems before they become painful.
Healthy eating for your child
As far as your child’s teeth are concerned, sugary and acidic food
and drinks are the ones to watch. The best policy is to limit these to
mealtimes so that the teeth aren’t exposed to them for too long.
For the more general health of your child, foods that are recommended include:
- Milk, cheese, yoghurt, soya beans, tofu and nuts. These are all rich in calcium, which is good for teeth and bones.
- Fortified breakfast cereals, margarine and oily fish. All good
sources of vitamin D, these foods will help keep up levels of calcium
in the blood.
- Meat, fish, pulses (that’s beans and lentils) and green vegetables.
High in iron, these foods are good for maintaining healthy blood.
- Fish is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals while being
low in saturated fat. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines
are also good for Omega 3.
- Citrus fruits (like oranges) are good for vitamin C. But remember
that this type of fruit is acidic, so while it’s OK to snack on fruit
between meals, fruit juice should be diluted with water and limited to
mealtimes.
- Milk, margarine, butter, green vegetables, carrots and apricots.
These all contain vitamin A to keep your skin and vision healthy.
Sugar vs teeth
Children love sugar. But unfortunately, their teeth aren’t quite so keen on it.
The reason for this is that when we eat sugar, the bacteria that
cause plaque on our teeth turn it into acid, which attacks the enamel.
Most of the time, the mouth’s natural defences and regular brushing
mean this isn’t a problem. But if your child has lots of sugary foods
and drinks, or has them quite often the teeth will be exposed to this
acid for a lot longer. That’s when decay can start to happen.
To avoid this happening, limit sugary foods and drinks to mealtimes
if you can. Stick to fruit, vegetables, cheese, milk and water between
meals.
Plaque and little teeth
Plaque is a thin, sticky layer of film that coats our teeth.
Bacteria that cause plaque feed on the sugar from the things we eat and
drink.
This bacteria breaks the sugar down into acid, which then attacks
the tooth’s enamel. Most of the time, the mouth’s natural defences will
neutralise this acid. But if your child has sugary food and drinks
often, these natural defences won’t be able to keep up, and their teeth
could become susceptible to decay.
Why little teeth are more vulnerable to decay
Teeth are protected on the outside by a layer of enamel – the
hardest substance in the human body. But the enamel on your child’s
little teeth is thinner than that in the permanent teeth. So it’s more
vulnerable to decay.
Decay happens when plaque acid eats away at the tooth to the point
where it creates a small hole called a cavity. Initially, this won’t
cause your child any pain, and the dentist should be able to spot it
and stop it from developing into a bigger hole. This is another reason
why regular dentist visits are so important.
But if the hole isn’t treated early on, the decay will continue to
spread. At this point, your child could start getting toothache, and
they’ll also need a filling.
If the decay keeps spreading, the tooth will most likely have to be removed. This is a worst-case scenario though. And with proper brushing, a good diet and regular dentist visits your child's teeth should be just fine.
Little teeth and gum disease
Plaque doesn’t just affect teeth. The bacteria that cause plaque produce toxins that can irritate the gums too.
This can make the gum red and swollen, and if the plaque isn’t
removed by regular brushing it can form a solid layer on the gum called
tartar. Once tartar has formed, a dentist will have to remove it.
Plaque build up can also cause gingivitis – a common condition where
the gums can swell and bleed when touched. Generally, improved brushing
and regular scaling from your child's dentist or hygienist will fix the
problem. But if it gets worse, as can sometimes happen with older
children, your dentist may decide to prescribe a short course of
antibiotics. If you think your child may have gingivitis, take them to
the dentist.
Little teeth and acid erosion
Fruit juice and fizzy drinks (even diet ones) are often acidic. And
if your child drinks a lot of them, the acid will lead to erosion of
the enamel in their teeth.
This is different from tooth decay because rather than it being
focused at a specific point, acid erosion attacks the whole surface of
the tooth at once by making the entire protective surface thinner.
This
can make the teeth sensitive, and can also make them more vulnerable to
decay. But there are some simple ways it can be avoided:
- Always dilute fruit juice with water.
- Restrict fizzy drinks and fruit juices to mealtimes. Between meals, give them milk or water.
- Use a straw if you give them fizzy drinks, as this will mean the acid will have less contact with the teeth.
- Don’t let your child swish drinks around in their mouth.
- Don’t let them brush their teeth just after they’ve had an acidic drink – wait as long as possible.
- After they’ve brushed their teeth at night, make sure they only have water to drink before going to bed.