Tooth decay

What is tooth decay?

Dental caries or tooth decay is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world and affects people of all ages. It is an infectious disease that can be transmitted from one person to another. Cavities are the end result of the disease. The good news is, caries disease is preventable and if treated early, can be treated and controlled. Early caries lesions can even be reversed.

Early signs of tooth decay

Early tooth decay can be hard to spot, especially if you don’t have special training.

The first sign of tooth decay is when the upper incisors develop a dull, white band along the gum line (the area at the base of the tooth, near the gums). You might see brown spots on the teeth, and the gums might be red and swollen. In more advanced stages of tooth decay, blackened areas show up on the teeth, with the gums still looking red and swollen. 

Stages of tooth decay

Preventing tooth decay with good dental care

Regular dental checks and visits to the dentist, brushing and flossing are essential steps towards preventing tooth decay. You can read more about dental care for your child in the following articles:

• Dental care for newborns
• Dental care for babies
• Dental care for toddlers
• Dental care for preschoolers
• Dental care for school-age children.

Preventing tooth decay with healthy eating and drinking

Teeth cleaning alone isn’t a guarantee against tooth decay. The types of food and drink you give your child can affect the development of tooth decay.

Babies under 4-6 months

Newborns and young babies only need breastmilk or formula. When your baby is old enough to drink something other than milk, water is the best option.

Babies over 6-8 months

When your baby is 6-8 months, she can start to use a cup for drinking. A bottle isn’t necessary after 12 months of age. Avoid giving your baby sweetened milk, fruit juice or cordials. These will increase the risk of tooth decay.

Older babies, children and teenagers

Children need a wide variety of healthy foods and snacks. Foods and drinks that are low in sugar are best. Avoid giving your children sweet biscuits or cakes as treats. If your child does eat something sweet, drinking a glass of water or eating a ‘tooth-friendly food’ afterwards can reduce the amount of acid on his teeth.

‘Tooth-friendly foods’ are foods that are low in sugar, promote chewing and get your child’s saliva going. Some good examples of tooth-friendly foods include cheese and chopped vegetables such as carrot and celery.

The longer food and drink stays in your child’s mouth, the more chance there is for acid to develop and cause damage to tooth enamel. This means that nibbling foods and sipping drinks over longer periods of time is more likely to cause tooth decay.

You can discourage your child from long periods of eating or drinking by:

• establishing regular snack and meal times, rather than all-day grazing
• making sure your child eats and drinks in one place only – for example, at the table
• putting food away when snack time or mealtime is over
• encouraging your child to drink tap water if she’s thirsty (if you don’t have juice, cordial or soft drink in the fridge or cupboard, you won’t have to watch what your child drinks as carefully)
• giving your child sweet foods as part of a meal rather than as a snack.

Other ways to avoid tooth decay

Good family dental health

The germs that cause tooth decay can be transmitted between people. This means it’s important for the whole family to keep their teeth healthy and clean.

If all the family members’ toothbrushes are kept in the same place, make sure the brushes don’t touch – this reduces the risk that decay-causing germs will travel between brushes and into mouths. And when it comes to toothbrushes, there’s no sharing! One for each family member is best.

Bottle-feeding and breastfeeding

Settling babies to sleep with bottles of milk can lead to early childhood tooth decay, particularly if it happens often. The problem is that the milk contains natural sugars, which can build up around baby’s teeth at night. The germs on the teeth can turn the sugars into acids, which eat away at the enamel of the baby teeth.

It’s recommended that you don’t settle your baby in bed with a bottle of milk. If your baby needs extra fluids, give him a quick drink of cooled boiled water before you put him into bed.

In general, if you’re bottle-feeding, take the bottle away when your baby’s finished. Likewise, if you’re breastfeeding, take baby off the breast when he’s had enough. Simple measures like these can help prevent early childhood tooth decay.

Asthma inhalers or puffers

These are a vital part of some children’s asthma management plans, but the powder in some puffers is acidic and can damage tooth enamel. This could lead to tooth decay over time if it isn’t balanced with good oral hygiene.

To avoid tooth decay, rinse your child’s mouth with water immediately after each use of the puffer. Ensure that your child’s teeth are cleaned twice a day with toothpaste. But don’t brush teeth straight after using the puffer – allow 30–60 minutes before brushing.

Other medications

Some medicines can affect your child’s oral health because of their sugar content. Check the label of any medication for any hidden sugars, particularly if your child’s going to be taking the medication for a long period of time.

Saliva helps clean and protect your child’s teeth – without saliva, tooth decay and other oral health problems can become more common. But some medications can reduce saliva production, leaving your child with a dry mouth. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the effects of the medication on saliva and teeth. Older children and teenagers could try chewing sugar-free gum. It stimulates saliva flow and helps to protect teeth from decay.

You can also encourage your child to rinse her mouth with water immediately after taking medication, and to brush with fluoride toothpaste one hour after.

Sports drinks

Sports drinks can erode your child’s teeth, particularly if your child drinks them regularly.

It’s best for your child to drink sports drinks only sometimes, and to drink plenty of water instead. When he does drink sports drinks, it’s a good idea for him to rinse with water straight away and to brush his teeth with a fluoride toothpaste about an hour after. 

Source : 
http://www.ndc.com.sg
http://raisingchildren.net.au