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The stone “holds” the teeth. Children do not have tooth decay, and milk teeth do not need to be treated because they will fall out the same way. Despite the fact that this is “only” rubbish sucked out of the finger, many parents believe in it, and improper oral hygiene and too infrequent visits to a specialist can have very serious consequences for the child’s health. What do you need to know about oral hygiene and what can we do to avoid problems in the future?
Edyta Kolasińska – Bazan: Is tooth decay hereditary?
Agnieszka Górnicka, dentist: Not. A baby is born with a sterile mouth. Caries is a bacterial disease and as such it is very easily transferred from the oral cavity (e.g. parents, siblings, guardians) to the sterile mouth of a newborn. Cariogenic bacteria can be passed on to a child with saliva, e.g. using a licked spoon or a pacifier, also when kissing, drinking from one bottle, glass, etc. It is the closest (parents, grandparents, caregivers) who are responsible for what type of bacterial flora and at what rate they sat on our children’s mouths. That is why it is so important that the people closest to the child care for the condition of their teeth.
There is bottle caries?
He has no such concept, but it happens that a toddler develops tooth decay as a consequence of feeding with formula. The formation of caries can also be influenced by the following (from the bottle): juices and other sweet and sour drinks. Night feeding and the lack of proper hygiene are the most harmful! An older child (11 or 12 months old) should be used to the fact that the night is a time of rest, not eating. I realize that it can be very difficult – a few nights may be sleepless, but it is worth the effort. At night, you can only give your child water – still mineral water – intended for infants and children, or boiled water, after which you do not need to brush your gums or teeth.
What water can be given to the child? Sparkling or still?
Still the best will be. It is worth knowing that the “bubbles” in carbonated drinks damage the enamel.
Are girls teething earlier than boys?
This is true as well as the fact that teething starts earlier in full-term babies than in preterm babies.
Is painful teething a disease?
It is difficult to answer unequivocally whether painful teething is a disease or a physiological condition. It all depends on the severity of the accompanying symptoms. What is certain is that it is a difficult time for both the baby and his parents. It is important to bring relief to a suffering child, but also to take care of the skin on the child’s chin, which is plentifully moistened with saliva flowing from the mouth. Lubricate the mouth area.
It is not necessary to treat milk teeth because they will fall out anyway?
This is bullshit! Decayed milk teeth are: pain, inflammation, abscesses that often require antibiotic therapy. After all, we do not want to expose the child to this. Moreover, between the ages of 5 and 13, both deciduous teeth and freshly erupted permanent teeth are present. During this time, decay from untreated primary teeth is quickly transferred to permanent teeth.
Caries are black spots on the teeth.
The most dangerous are clear – cream, honey – stains, invisible to the parents’ eye, so I advise you to come to the dentist.
Remove the spoiled milk teeth.
Not always. If the decay in a deciduous tooth is so large that the tooth has died, there are treatments available to keep the tooth in the mouth. We call him the “space keeper”. Its task is to keep a place for the future permanent tooth. Its presence allows the jaw to develop properly and possibly avoid malocclusion in the future.
Is anesthesia harmful to a child?
No, but when deciding to administer anesthesia, both for a child and an adult, we must remember about the possible allergy of the patient. We consider each treatment individually. I think that anesthesia should be used whenever we anticipate that the procedure will be painful. This should of course be agreed with the child’s guardians.
It is not necessary to brush your teeth overnight – just eat an apple.
It’s a myth. After each meal, we brush our teeth, and absolutely for the night! As for apples, pickled cucumbers, juices, remember that they are acids, so danger to the teeth! After consuming acid, you need to rinse your mouth thoroughly, wait (about an hour) and then brush your teeth.
Dental floss for a child is overkill!
I am “in favor” of using threads in children. First, around the age of 4, the jaws begin to grow, which causes gaps to appear between the milk teeth (the so-called physiological diastemas). The diet is also changing – more food enters the teeth and this has to be removed. This is when the most “holes” appear on the side surfaces of the teeth. Secondly, it is getting your toddler used to the next element of hygiene. Ask your dentist or hygienist how to use the floss properly.
Is chewing gum harmful?
Yes and no. It is inadvisable to chew gum non-stop because we can overload the temporomandibular joints. There is a so-called hygienic chewing gum – 5 minutes after eating, e.g. after eating even the aforementioned apple; the gum then stimulates the secretion of saliva and the acid in the saliva is neutralized. This is a good way when we can’t brush our teeth after a meal. However, remember that gum will never replace brushing your teeth!
The rubber can cause the seal to fall off?
Yes, but only one that no longer fulfilled its role. It’s even better that it fell out, because it was apparently not tight and the tooth was exposed to the development of caries around it. The same is true if the filling falls out while flossing.
Frequent brushing of teeth wears away the enamel?
The enamel can be wiped only when using a toothbrush with too hard bristles and toothpastes with a high abrasion index, e.g. whitening toothpastes. You need to know that the whitening toothpaste will not change the color of the teeth, it is an advertising gimmick. So-called whitening toothpastes, available in supermarkets, have more abrasives and the teeth may react with increased sensitivity. I advise you to brush your teeth regularly after eating the so-called normal toothpastes and brushes with medium bristle hardness.
Why is it important to clean your teeth properly?
Proper washing allows you to get rid of food debris from the teeth and wash away soft bacterial plaque from their surface – this will protect us against the development of caries. By using the wrong brushes (too soft or too hard), or by using inappropriate movements when brushing – we can harm ourselves. This can lead to, for example, damage to the gingival margin, exposing the necks of the teeth and, consequently, abrasion in them. wedge defects – a very unpleasant and painful matter. It’s no shame to ask your dentist for an instruction.
Fluoride – Does It Help or Harm?
Fluoride is an element needed in the body, e.g. for building bones and teeth, but it should be used with caution, both by children and adults. The golden mean is important. Therefore, we use toothpaste with fluoride in children, intended for their age range – only in small amounts. Recent studies show that it is worth using fluoride in minimal doses and systematically. On the other hand, the local application of concentrated fluoride preparations in a dentist’s office favors the formation of a reservoir of this element. This reserve is needed for remineralization – repair processes taking place in the enamel. It is worth knowing that in many countries water is fluoridated, but in Poland it is not.
But too much fluoride is dangerous.
Of course, it can cause, for example, fluorosis, i.e. damage to the enamel.
Fluoridation will protect us from tooth decay.
Fluoride-saturated enamel becomes more resistant to cariogenic bacteria, so in this sense it protects against caries, but you cannot stop there. Treatments performed in a dentist’s office – including fluoridation, are only part of the work we can do. The rest depends on the parents, guardians of the child. Proper eating habits (for example elimination of sugar in eating and drinking) and proper hygiene (regular teeth cleaning) are essential to successfully fight tooth decay. Good habits in a child are extremely important, because “what John does not learn, John will not know”. I always talk to parents and treat their children’s teeth only when we cooperate in this area.
When to go for the first visit? Many parents only come when the tooth starts to hurt.
I recommend much in advance. The first visit to the dentist’s office is a great experience – it is an element of getting to know the world, so we go to see the place: office, equipment, chair and finally the dentist.
Falling out milk teeth – should you rush to the dentist as soon as the tooth “moves”?
Absolutely not – most will fall out by themselves. Too quick removal of the barely moving milk milk requires anesthesia in order to remove it. Does it make sense to expose the child to such stress? I do not believe so. The tooth should be “rocked”. It is also a good idea to consult your dentist at this stage. He will surely advise you whether it is safe to wait for the tooth to fall out naturally
Do we visit the dentist twice a year?
Adults with permanent teeth and no problems should walk twice a year. On the other hand, a child who has deciduous or deciduous and permanent teeth should visit the clinic 4 times a year. A child’s teeth are not as mineralized as an adult’s teeth. Three months is absolutely enough time for the tooth to develop a cavity.
The stone “holds” the teeth and it is better not to remove it so that the teeth do not move.
This is bullshit! Caries, deposits and tartar are the habitat of microorganisms that cause inflammation of the gums and oral mucosa!
Sugar is refreshing. Breakfast bag containing: a bar, a bun, a sweet drink is a good energy bomb!
Breakfast bag containing: a bar, a lollipop, a bun and a sweet drink is the cause of tooth decay and many other diseases! I recommend one sweet day a week, as e.g. Scandinavian people prefer. Of course, you need to brush your teeth after meals and absolutely after eating sweets!
I understand the lollipop, but a sweet juice or a drink?
For example, cola has a negative effect on our teeth in three ways: it is an acid (pH approx. 5), strongly sweetened and carbonated. Such a drink is a mountain of sugar – there are about 70 sugar cubes in a two-liter bottle; approx. 16 cubes in a can! I would like to add that such a drink does not quench thirst, but increases it – we reach for more and more. Sweetened drinks with so much sugar not only affect the condition of the teeth, but also cause excessive stimulation of children, their worse appetite.
Sealing is a waste of money.
Sealing is the sealing of furrows. They are used in children who have just appeared first primary molars, as well as permanent molars and premolars. We protect healthy teeth against the effects of harmful acids and, as a result, the development of caries. Properly performed treatment guarantees about 90 percent. elimination of caries on chewing surfaces. Varnishes have a double preventive effect. First of all, they release fluoride, saturating the surrounding tissues with it – which strengthens the tooth enamel. Secondly, they “flatten” the grooves of the teeth, which often contain food debris, and thus protect against the development of caries in a mechanical way. The latter effect is extremely important in small patients, because the thickness of the enamel at the bottom of the furrows is very small and the brush bristles often cannot reach there. Self-cleaning by saliva is not enough. Even if they brush their teeth regularly, small children are unable to remove all the remains of food from these deep furrows due to their still limited manual skills, which results in tooth decay. We seal the teeth freshly erupted, free of any caries stains.
Bad bite, slurred speech – these are genes and “our beauty”.
Sometimes yes, but a crooked bite is caused by, for example, a pillow in a toddler – both too high, but also its lack. A pillow for a baby must be of the optimal size – I talk about it with parents who have newborns or infants, or are expecting offspring. When I see a crooked bite in a few-year-old child, I suggest playing muscle exercises at the beginning. Parents should also worry: the child’s slurred speech, the gap between the upper ones. The dentist will pay attention to other irregularities.
Thrush and mouth ulcers are caused by dirty hands?
Thrush and canker sores are something else. Thrush is a fungal infection of the mouth in the form of a coating or white spots caused by Candida albicans. They can appear on the tongue, cheeks, palate. Treatment is necessary – topical or oral antifungal drugs, a sugar-free diet, disinfectant rinses. It is also recommended to improve immunity and restore the natural bacterial flora. They often appear after antibiotic treatment. On the other hand, canker sores result from autoimmunity – it is an autoimmune disease. It is erosion (damage to the mucosa), often of unknown etiology. They can be caused by stress, mechanical trauma, viral or bacterial infection, hormonal changes (canker sores often occur in people with a diseased thyroid gland). We use preparations that accelerate healing and laser biostimulation.