Early Start Key to Good Oral Health
Adopting a good oral hygiene routine is essential for good oral health. Children who are encouraged to look after their teeth and gums from an early age have a much lower risk of oral diseases, including gum disease and tooth decay.
Dentists all over the UK are seeing children at an increasingly early age with extensive decay, with children as young as 2 years old referred to hospital to have teeth extracted under general anaesthetic. Dentists claim that some parents are unaware of the importance of oral hygiene because the milk teeth are only temporary. However, the milk teeth play an important role in the development of the adult teeth and if they are lost prematurely, this can contribute to problems with the permanent teeth.
According to the latest Government survey, more than 40 percent of children under the age of five suffer from tooth decay and 12 percent of children requiring a filling by the age of five years old.
Dr Janet Clarke, a dentist from Birmingham and an adviser for the British Dental Association, encouraged parents to start cleaning their baby’s teeth from a very early age by placing a tiny amount of baby toothpaste on their finger and rubbing the baby’s gums. Once the child is old enough to start holding a brush, they should be actively encouraged to clean their own teeth and older children should be supervised to ensure that they brush for the recommended time.
Dr Clarke also advised parents to try and cut the bottle out from the age of 12 months, replacing it with a cup; bottles are a major cause of tooth decay, especially when filled with sugary drinks. Diet also plays a very important role and Dr Clarke said that many cases of decay among children are directly linked to increased consumption of sweets, sugary and fizzy drinks and processed meals, which are often packed with sugar. Dr Clarke encourage parents to give their children water, milk or sugar-free squash, rather than sugary drinks and warned against sugary snacks during the day, which cause the teeth to be under constant attack from harmful plaque acids.
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