4 Myths About Children’s Teeth

In The Know For You To Know

MYTH #1 Baby Teeth Are Not Important

Baby teeth are very important and for 4 reasons. First, they are needed for the growth of your Baby’s jaws, muscles and their face. Second, their teeth are also necessary for your Child to be able to chew their food, eat well and grow healthy and strong. Third, their teeth help them to speak — their tongue and cheeks engage the surfaces of their teeth to help them form the sounds they need to talk. Fourth, their Baby teeth provide the space for their permanent teeth to develop and to guide them into position.

Myth #2 Putting Baby To Bed With A Bottle is NOT A Problem

Putting your Baby to sleep for a nap or at night with a bottle or after breast feeding can cause a serious type of cavities. This is because the sugar in the formula, milk, fruit juice, and other sweetened liquids sit on their teeth and eats away at the enamel. The time for cavities to show up can be as soon as 1 year after their teeth come into their mouth. You’ll most probably see the cavities on their top front teeth first.

What to do? Clean your Baby’s whole mouth and teeth with a wet washcloth after each feeding everyday, from their first to their last feeding of the day. It’s best for you to sit down on the bed or on the sofa where you have room and can comfortably and safely hold your Baby and you can look into their mouth easily.

If they will not go to sleep without a bottle, put water in the bottle. Water not working? Then dilute the sugary liquid with 50% water and keep increasing the amount of water until there is 100% water in the bottle by the end of 1 week.

MYTH #3 Cavities Aren’t A Big Deal For Children

Cavities in children are more prevalent than Asthma. And by a lot, children are 8x’s more likely to have cavities than Asthma.

That’s a lot of children — 20% of preschoolers, 50% of 2nd graders, 75% of 15 year olds.

MYTH #4 Letting Your Child Brush Without Your Help

It takes time for children to develop their motor skills. How old do you think they’ll be when they can wash and dry their own hair from start to finish on their own?

When they can do their hair themselves that’s about the time they can floss and brush on their own also. So you will be doing this for them. Not only that, once they do start flossing and brushing by themselves in front of the bathroom mirror, they’ll do a much better job with you in the bathroom with them.

Brushing is 2 Minutes 2 Times A Day and Flossing is at night before brushing. So it’s brushing in the morning for 2 Minutes after breakfast before leaving for school looking in the mirror, and at night looking in the bathroom mirror to floss first then brush for 2 Minutes, then nothing to eat or drink and straight to bed.

Don’t fall into these common confusions about your Child’s oral health. Now you can take charge and have the power to stop these urban legends before they begin.

What is your power?