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Oral
Health for Children - click on one of the Colgate links below for some
detailed info by age:
First visit - how old and what to expect How to prepare your child for a dental visit - do's and dont's Pre Op instructions (coming soon) Post Op instructions (coming soon) Tips for expectant mothers The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that dental caries is perhaps the most prevalent of infectious diseases in our nation's children. Dental caries is 5 times more common than asthma and 7 times more common than hay fever in children. More than 40% of children have tooth decay by the time they reach kindergarten. Decay of primary teeth can affect children's growth, lead to increased need for braces, and result in significant pain and potentially life-threatening infection or swelling. Dental caries is the disease that causes cavities. It is a complicated, infectious, contagious disease, and it can have a significant impact on your child's general health as well as his oral health. The disease begins in infancy when bacteria first start to inhabit the mouth. Many different kinds of bacteria make their home in the mouth. Some are good, and some are bad. The good ones compete for space with the bad ones. The bad ones love an acidic environment and therefore, produce cavity causing acids when exposed to sugars. The more acid they produce, the happier they are and the more they multiply, thus creating a vicious cycle of more and more bad bacteria. If they start overgrowing the good bacteria (like weeds in a garden) the dental caries process will begin. The parent's mouth (or primary caregiver's mouth) serves as the host for the bacteria that the child will be infected with. If the parent has had a history of lots of cavities, either recently or as a child, it is likely that their mouths are inhabited by lots of these bad bacteria. It is also likely that, unless they are very careful, they will transmit these bacteria to their child, causing them to have lots of cavities as well. What can
a parent do to try not to transmit these bad bugs to their kids?
Studies show that if your child is not exposed to these acid producing bacteria until their 2nd birthday, the good bacteria will already have their "homes" set up and won't allow the bad bugs to establish themselves. With a little knowledge and a lot of effort, your child can grow up to be cavity free for a lifetime. First visit - how old and what to expect Ideally, it is best to take your child to the dentist before their first birthday. The earlier you begin, the better chance we have to prevent problems before they occur. Our goals
for the first visit are to:
How to prepare your child for a dental visit - do's and dont's Some first
visit "DO'S":
Some
first visit "DON'TS":
Why treat baby teeth It is
important that the baby (primary) teeth stay healthy until they are lost
naturally. They serve many functions including:
Cavities grow very quickly in primary teeth as the enamel is very thin (compared to permanent teeth). If cavities do arise, it is important to take care of them quickly. This way they can be treated in the most conservative manner possible. If cavities get large, they are much more difficult to restore and will become painful for the child. Untreated decay on any tooth, permanent or primary, can lead to serious infections (abscess) requiring hospitalization and extraction of the involved tooth. If primary teeth are lost early due to infection, a space maintainer will be required to hold the space for the permanent replacement.
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© Copyright 2003- Dental WebSmith, Inc. and Paul A Weiss, DDS. All rights reserved. Disclaimer: The information provided within is intended to help you better understand dental conditions and procedures. It is not meant to serve as delivery of medical or dental care. If you have specific questions or concerns, contact your health care provider.
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