Toddlers’ teeth are as important as the teeth of adults. Sometimes we can be careless about them considering they are milk teeth. Tooth decay in toddlers is becoming a common thing in the past few years. Tooth decay in toddlers can cause problems in the future too. After the falling of the milk teeth, the permanent teeth face so many problems because of tooth decay in toddlers. Tooth decay in children moves the other teeth and disturbs the teeth’ spaces. Therefore, it needs to be prevented to make sure that the permanent teeth pop properly with enough spaces in the gums.
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Reasons for Tooth Decay in Toddlers
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Tooth decay in toddlers occurs because of the bacteria that grew in their mouths. In babies, the bacteria can transfer through saliva and result in tooth decay in toddlers. One of the biggest reasons for tooth decay in toddlers is drinking milk and other liquids from the bottle. Parents and caregivers often share utensils with babies and toddlers; this can be a reason for tooth decay in toddlers. When sharing utensils, they are transferring bacteria into the baby’s mouth that can start the process of tooth decay in young kids.
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Prevention of Tooth Decay in Children
Tooth decay in toddlers can be prevented by the appropriate measures. Here is how you can take care of your toddler’s teeth.
Oral Health
The oral health journey of your child starts in the womb of the mother. You need to take care of your teeth to avoid any tooth decay in children. Go to a dentist for regular checkups during pregnancy. Here is how you can take care of children’s teeth to prevent tooth decay in toddlers:
- When your child is a baby, take care of his oral hygiene by wiping the gums. This is the first step to halt tooth decay in toddlers.
- As soon as the first tooth pops up in your baby’s mouth, start the brushing routine. Use gentle baby toothpaste with Fluoride.
- When your child reaches the age of 12 months, start a proper routine of brushing teeth twice a day. Brush their teeth after breakfast and before going to bed. This will surely put a stop to tooth decay in children.
- After the age of three, a toddler should be able to brush his teeth himself with the knowledge of oral health.
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Do not give a Feeding Bottle in Sleep
Try not to give your children a milk bottle while they are sleeping. Small kids tend to sleep with bottles in their mouth, take them out as soon as the child has gone to sleep. The milk bottle is a big reason for tooth decay in toddlers. Milk bottles with the residue develop bacteria that can damage the gums and teeth of the child. Milk should only be given with daily meals and not at the time of sleeping.
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Train your Kids to use Cup to Drink
As soon as your kids can hold the cup, try to help them drink water from a normal cup. Any kind of test or straw can cause tooth decay in toddlers. They can easily grow bacteria on them that will be harming the tooth. It is hard to keep the bottle teats completely clean. It is better to minimize the use of these kinds of utensils whenever your kid shows interest in normal cups and glasses. The sooner your kids learn to drink from a cup the better it is for the teeth.
Do not feed your Kids Excessive Sweets
Excessive sweets are not good for adults or children. Toddlers while exploring flavors get a little carried away with sweets. Parents need to make sure that their consumption of sweets is under control and they brush their teeth after eating anything sticky. Tooth decay in toddlers is common because of the bacteria made in the sweets stuck in the teeth. Sticky items also irritate smaller kids by sticking in their teeth. In case you have fed your child something sticky sweet, brush the teeth afterward so there is nothing that remains stuck in the teeth.
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Try to Avoid Juices
Try to use water as much as possible. Juices are overly sweet and cause serious damage to teeth. It is hard to keep juices away from toddlers but to prevent tooth decay in toddlers; we need to take these tantrums. Juices have processed sugars that can speed up tooth decay in toddlers and cause serious damage to the teeth. The habit of drinking only water when thirsty can go a long way and will keep their teeth healthy too. Drinking juice instead of water can be fatal for teeth.
Minimize Processed Food
Processed food has become a vital part of our lives. It is somewhat not possible to completely lay it off but we can minimize the use of it, especially for kids. Processed food most of the time has some amount of sugar and in some cases a lot of natural or processed sugar. Therefore, we can be feeding our kids sugar even when we believe it is a savory item. It is better to serve your child homemade meals, they will be more healthy for them and will not harm their teeth.
Get their Teeth Checked Regularly
When your child’s first tooth pops up, make a routine of getting the teeth checked by a dentist. tooth decay in toddlers can still happen, if you have all the healthy habits. You can avoid this Tooth Decay in Children by getting them checked by a dentist. A dentist can figure if something is wrong with the teeth and treat them to stop tooth decay in toddlers. The more you visit the dentist; it will make your child comfortable with the dental check-up too.
Indications of Tooth Decay in Toddlers
Tooth decay in toddlers can be seen through a few signs in their teeth:
- Toddler’s teeth are usually very bright and white. If you start to see a dull white line near the gums, that can be a sign of tooth decay in toddlers.
- If the tooth decay is in a further stage, it will show through the brown, black, or yellow line with the gums area.
- If the teeth of the child have gone brown, the tooth decay has already reached its very advanced stage.
All these signs will help you understand what you can do about Tooth Decay in Children. The earlier you can find it the better it is because then something can be done about it.
Final Words
Tooth decay in toddlers can be prevented with a proper oral hygiene routine. These habits need to be developed in kids. Regular dentist check ups can also save you and your child from potential tooth decay. Tooth decay in children has become common because of the excess use of processed sugars. There is sugar in almost everything. In this situation, it is better to stay in touch with your dentist to have healthy teeth. As we know, prevention is better than cure. For the sake of healthy teeth and oral hygiene, we have to be serious about this. Keep those extra sugars away from kids with regular teeth brushing so the children’s smile remains healthy and bright.
