okie i have an article which is really informative about children's teeth. Given to me by my SIL. She is a dentist.
Baby Teeth are Important!
Baby teeth need to be taken care of until they are replaced by permanent teeth. Temporary molars are most important and have to be preserved between 10 to 12 yrs old!
Baby Teeth and Malnutrition
Is your child suffering from any of the following?
- Decreased appetite or difficulty in eating?
- Doesn't finish the food on his plate?
- Irritable in school and grades drop
* These are some symptoms of toothache and infection. When a child's teeth are decayed and infected, PAIN sets in. He is not able to eat well. He does not get the proper nourishment that his body needs. This leads to malnutrition and the child's growth and development is affected. Quality of life is compromised.
Baby Teeth and Infection
- Infection from the upper teeth can spread to the eyes, causing blindness and may even spread to the brain, which can cause meningitis.
- Infection from the lower teeth can spread to the neck, throat and to the heart which may cause endocarditis.
Baby Teeth & Permanent Teeth
- Abscessed teeth (with pus) can damage the developing permanent teeth underneath.
- Tooth decay is an infectious disease. Cavity-causing bacteria will soon affect the incoming permanent teeth.
- Permanent teeth erupt in a filthy environment teeming with bacteria, making permanent teeth prone to cavities.
Baby Teeth & Malocclusion
- When baby teeth are lost prematurely, this may cause closure of the space for the permanent teeth, resulting to crowding.
- Permanent teeth will have no guide during their eruption.
Responsible Milk Feeding
Parents should avoid putting infants to sleep with a milk bottle.
- During sleep the flow of saliva greatly decreases. Milk from the breast or the bottle stays in the mouth and bathes the baby teeth. Bacteria produces acid from the milk and causes dental decay.
- This leads to BABY BOTTLE TOOTH DECAY or EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES.
- The four upper front teeth is the first set that is affected.
- THe lower front teeth are not so prone to decay since the tongue protects these. In advance stages, however, these teeth can also be affected.
Train your child to drink milk from a cup at age 1...
- For bottle-fed babies, step-by-step weaning can be done by gradually decreasing the amount of milk powder until only water is left in the bottle. Water is the only acceptable fluid that can be placed in the bottle when the child is to be put to bed.
