5 Ways to Prevent Tooth Decay in Children

Dentist Blog

Excellent oral health is at the top of most parents' agendas, but in the absence of being able to monitor children every moment of every day, it's often helpful to learn some useful tricks for enhancing their oral health. With over 90 percent of tooth loss in Australia occurring because of decayed or missing teeth, there's a strong case for nipping bad oral health habits in the bud.

Clean your baby's teeth as soon as they make an appearance

As a doting parent, you may find it difficult to imagine taking a brush to your baby's gummy smile. However, using a soft infant toothbrush to clean your baby's teeth and gums with water twice daily can go a long way towards securing great adult oral health.

Wean your little ones onto sensible foods

Once your babies are past the breast milk and formula stage, introducing them to new foods is exciting. However, as many family dentists will agree, avoiding too many sugars at this stage is crucial. Sugary foods promote bacterial growth, turning your baby's mouth into a pleasant little petri dish. Stick to bananas, rusks, and other family favourites, while ensuring Grandma doesn't up their treat quota too often.

Spark your toddler or preschooler's interest in dental health early

After your little ones have developed a healthy set of teeth, it's important to make them as enthusiastic about brushing as you are. For the first few years of their life, you'll need to assist them while they brush. Once their manual dexterity allows for them to do so, let them brush their teeth without any physical assistance from you. Eventually they'll lead the process alone, allowing you to sit back and relax.

Promote rinsing after snacks

Expecting a child to brush their teeth every time they eat is a thankless task. However, you can ask them to rinse their mouth with a little water each time they've finished a snack or meal. On top of brushing twice daily, this is a great way to remove substances that encourage bacterial growth.

Don't demonise your family dentist

Dentists have a hard time, as it's rare that children or adults look forward to visiting them. If you make your child's visit to the dentist fun from an early age, they'll continue their appointments themselves in their teenage years. By visiting the dentist every six months, it's possible to detect tooth decay early and tackle it before it leads to tooth loss.

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8 September 2015

Dental Checkups: Preparing for Your Checkup

Hi! My name is Sarah, and as a busy professional, I understand the importance of making the most of my time. That includes everything from having productive working lunches to making the most of my dental checkups. I have created this blog to help you maximise your dental checkups. In these posts, you can learn how to prepare for your checkup, which questions to ask during your checkup and more. I am also going to have posts explaining why checkups are critical to your dental health as well as the health of your entire body. Happy reading, and thanks for visiting my blog!