How do I help my children to look after their teeth and prevent cavities?
Teach your child the proper oral care is an investment that will provide health benefits for life. The first is to give a good example to your own teeth you care the child will receive the message that oral health is important. All that makes taking care of teeth fun, like brushing their teeth with their children or letting them choose their own toothbrush, encourages proper oral care.
To help your children protect their teeth and gums and reduce the risk of forming cavities , teach them to follow these simple steps:
Brush your teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste approved by the Mexican Dental Association, which will remove the plaque (which is a sticky film that adheres to teeth and is the leading cause of caries).
Use dental floss daily to remove plaque from between teeth and below the gums, preventing harden into tartar, because once formed, can only be removed with professional cleaning.
Choose a balanced diet by avoiding starches and sugars. When you eat these foods, try it with food and not between meals. The extra saliva produced during a meal helps rinse food from the mouth.
Use dental products which contain fluoride, including toothpaste.
Make sure your child gets fluoride salt added if you live in areas that do not contain large amounts of natural fluoride in drinking water.
Take your kids to the dentist for regular review .
What brushing techniques I can teach my children?
It is important to monitor their children’s brushing until you master these simple steps:
Use a small amount of toothpaste with adequate amounts of fluoride, adopted by the Mexican Dental Association. (The size of a pea). Make sure your child does not pass the toothpaste.
With a soft toothbrush, brush the inside surface of each tooth, which is where most plaque accumulates. Brush gently from posterior to anterior.
Clean exterior surfaces of each tooth. Place the brush at an angle to the outer gum. Brush gently from posterior to anterior.
Brush the chewing surfaces of each tooth. Brush gently from posterior to anterior.
Use the tip of the brush to clean the back of the front teeth, both above and below.
It’s always fun to brush your tongue!
When should my child start flossing?
Because flossing removes food particles and plaque between teeth, a place where there is no brush, it is recommended that after four years, start flossing your children. At age eight, most kids can begin flossing for themselves.
What are fissure sealants and how do I know if my children need?
The fissure sealant creates a highly effective barrier against decay because they are thin plastic coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of permanent back teeth of children, where they form the majority of tooth decay. The application of a sealant is not painful and can be done in one visit to the dentist. He will tell you if a sealant is needed for their children.
What is fluoride and how do I know if my children receive the proper amount?
Fluoride is one of the best ways to help prevent tooth decay. It is a mineral that, when combined with tooth enamel to strengthen it. The preventive measure used in Mexico is the consumption of salt fortified with adequate amounts of fluoride, and in areas where drinking water contains large amounts of fluoride should be consumed salt without fluoride. Ask your dentist about the area where you live. It is also advisable to use toothpaste with fluoride in all cases. Ask your dentist which toothpaste to use to get the appropriate level of fluoride. In children under 6 years is recommended toothpaste used with 500 parts per million of fluoride.
How important is the diet on oral health of my children?
A balanced diet is necessary for their children develop strong teeth and decay-resistant. In addition to the full range of vitamins and minerals, a child’s diet should include plenty of calcium, phosphorus, and proper levels of fluoride.
Just as fluoride is the best protection for children against cavities, snacking on a frequent basis are the worst enemy. The sugars and starches found in many foods such as cookies, candies, dried fruit, soft drinks, pretzels and potato chips combine with plaque on teeth to create acids. These acids attack the tooth enamel and can lead to cavities.
Each “plaque attack” can last up to 20 minutes after the end of the meal. Even a little nibble can create plaque acids. Therefore, it is best to avoid eating between meals.
What should I do if my child’s tooth is chipped, broken or lost?
With lesions in the mouth of your child, contact your dentist immediately. He will examine the affected area and determine appropriate treatment.
If your child is in pain from a broken tooth, or chipped, visit the dentist immediately. If desired, can provide a soothing to the time of appointment. If possible, keep any part of the tooth that has broken off and take to the dentist.
If you lost a tooth by accident, take your dentist as soon as possible. Avoid touching the tooth and do not clean. Store in water or milk until you get to the office. It is possible that the tooth could again be placed in the mouth of the child through a procedure called reimplantation.
Visit our dental office regularly to prevent any dental problems. For good oral health is necessary to maintain the preventive dentistry, which is the branch of dentistry in the dental professional will guide you in your needs in the care of your oral health.