Dental Disease in Children

Children are at risk of caries when the first tooth begins to appear in the mouth (approximately at the age of 6 months). For this reason, parents should start cleaning their children's teeth in this period, as soon as the first tooth erupts.

Milk teeth are less resistant to caries since their mineral ratios are low. For this reason, milk teeth decay faster and decay progresses faster. Although feeding of babies is very frequent during this period, cleaning done twice a day is important in preventing caries formation.

The mother can clean the baby's first teeth with a clean gauze pad. Again in this period, baby toothbrushes are also available in the market, which the mother can pass on her finger to clean baby teeth. After the age of 2.5 - 3, brushing should be continued by switching to brushes suitable for the age of the child. Care should be taken that the bristles of the brush are not hard and the brushing process is not too harsh.

The use of paste containing fluorine before the age of 3 is not recommended due to the risk of swallowing the baby. However, there are pastes suitable for babies on the market that do not contain fluorine, do not foam and contain fully digestible enzymes. After the age of 3, fluoride-containing children's paste can be used. It is important to take care to use only children's paste until the age of 12. Since the important thing is the mechanical cleaning of the teeth, using more paste does not mean a better cleaning. It should be noted that the paste used should be as large as a lentil grain. In addition, since the paste will foam with saliva, the paste placed on the brush does not need to be wetted under water.

Is it enough for the child to brush their own teeth?

Since children's motor functions are not fully developed until the age of 9, they should not be expected to brush effectively alone. Just as a child before the age of 9 cannot take a bath on his own, he cannot brush his teeth. However, of course, in order for the child to make a habit of brushing, he should be allowed to brush himself first, but then the parents should definitely do the actual effective brushing.

The introduction of the toothbrush into the mouth is not sufficient for effective brushing. Ask your dentist to teach you the correct brushing technique you and your child will use.

Individuals acquire their habits at an early age. In order for your child to acquire the habit of brushing, you should first brush your own teeth and set an example for them.

How many times a day should you brush your child's teeth?

Although children's meals are at more frequent intervals than adults, an effective tooth brushing twice a day, morning and evening, will be sufficient to prevent caries formation. Especially at night, as the saliva flow decreases, the teeth become more sensitive to caries, so care should be taken to brush the teeth before going to bed at night.