Good oral health in children is not only important for their teeth and gums during childhood -- but it can also have a lasting impact into adulthood. Making sure you have a specialist children’s dentist is vital to ensure you get the right advice and treatment for your child’s teeth during these important years. But it’s not just about regular visits to the dentist, as important as this is. How your child cares for their oral health on a day-to-day basis is a huge part of maintaining a healthy mouth and teeth. The habits that your children learn in their younger years will go with them into adult life and help prepare them for a lifetime of good oral health.
We asked our specialist pediatric dentist, Dr Mya Choufani, DDS, for her top oral health tips for children and teenagers.
Oral health starts early with children
Keeping your child’s teeth and gums healthy starts very early in life. We teach parents two important guidelines to follow with babies:
1. Do not share pacifiers with other children.
2. Do not suck a baby’s pacifier and then put it back into your child's mouth because bacteria from your mouth will transfer to them.
As far as breastfeeding is concerned, breast milk has just as much sugar as any other milk. If your baby has teeth, you need to start brushing their teeth at night before they go to sleep and, in the morning, when they wake up. You should try not to give your child anything after you've brushed their teeth at night. They should have their last feed before you brush their teeth if that's possible. We understand that a lot of moms still must give breast milk at 3:00 in the morning or at 11:00 at night. However, it’s important, wherever possible, to give the last feed and then brush the baby’s teeth.
As long as your child has one tooth in their mouth, they need to start brushing twice a day. It is often good to start with a little toothbrush and allow them to suck on this to get used to it.
Children’s medications can have sugar in them
It might surprise you to know that a lot of children’s medications contain sugar. If you are giving your child medication on a regular basis, it’s important to give them it before you brush their teeth. There will be times when we can’t, for example, if a child has a fever at 4:00 in the morning and needs medication urgently. Trying to give them a little bit of water to sip on after the medication can help wash the sugar down.
There are occasions when this happens more often for some children than for others. If your child is regularly taking cough syrups or is on bronchodilators, this can be very bad for the teeth over time and can cause fungal growth in the mouth. We have treated many children who take additional frequent medication and with our help and extra attention with home care, their teeth have remained cavity-free and healthy.
Children should drink a lot of water
One of the worst things for a small child’s teeth can be sucking on juices all day long. They need to drink a lot of water, as well as milk. Dairy products are necessary for calcium in the teeth. If your child is allergic to dairy, it’s important to compensate for this lower calcium intake in other ways.
Limit the amount of sugar in your children’s diet
A great way to prevent cavities and poor oral health is to reduce the amount of sugar your child has in their daily diet. There are many hidden sugars in cereals, soda, and chocolate milk, for example. Avoiding soda drinks is a good place to start cutting out unnecessary sugars, as well as limiting sweets and treats. Fruit juices can also cause dental problems, especially when your child is still using a bottle or sippy cup every day.
Establish a daily routine
Teaching your child to brush their teeth twice a day is a habit that will last into adult life. Until the age of around six years, parents need to brush their children’s teeth. Once they are old enough, they can brush on their own with parental supervision. If you are struggling with encouraging your child to brush every day, try a star chart… but not with sweets as a reward!
Visit a children’s dentist regularly
Choosing a dentist for a child or teenager is important; how your child feels about visiting the dentist can have an impact on their relationship with their oral and dental health into adulthood. We understand that children need to feel that visiting the dentist is a positive experience and that it can be fun.
There are also special treatments needed for children’s and teenagers’ teeth. We advise that children get sealants once their adult teeth come in. It’s also important to watch out for teeth that never grow through. A child can get their baby teeth, but not have adult teeth underneath. This is called agenesis and is common. We can offer advice about treatment for this common concern.
Wear a mouthguard for contact sports
Here at Clinica Cloe, we are passionate about the difference wearing a mouthguard can make for children involved in contact sports. In fact, we’re so passionate about it that we offer it as a free service. If your child plays rugby, basketball, or American football, a mouthguard is important. If you visit us, we can make you a mouthguard free of charge to protect your child’s teeth.
Contact a dentist in an emergency
Dental emergencies happen. Three out of four boys, and one in four girls, will lose their front teeth or break them. The important thing is to know what to do in a dental emergency, so you’re prepared. We're here 24 hours a day. If your child falls, you can call the office or our emergency number. Depending on the severity of the situation, we can either help you over the phone, open the office out of hours, or come to see you. Going to a hospital emergency room is often futile as they don't have the experience and skill of a dentist.
Visit us at Clinica Cloe to find out more about your child’s oral health
Dr. Mya Choufani, DDS, is a highly skilled and experienced clinician, and a good person to visit if you are looking for a highly recommended and reputable children’s dentist in Madrid and a teenagers’ dentist in Madrid.
