Top 4 Baby Teeth Myths And Facts That All Parents Should Know
There are so many parents today who still believe that taking care of baby teeth
is not important because they will be replaced anyway by permanent teeth. This misconception is dangerous because children need to have healthy teeth to ensure their overall wellness.
Dental health and oral hygiene are important whether your child has baby (milk) teeth or permanent teeth. If you neglect his or her primary teeth, then you are exposing your child to infections, pain, and malnutrition.
The make sure that your children will enjoy proper dental care, here are the top 4 myths and facts about baby teeth that you should know.
Myth 1: Cavities in baby teeth are unimportant because they will just fall off in due time.
Fact: As stated earlier, the overall oral health of your child is always important to ensure total wellness. Cavities can cause pain which could affect the appetite and eating habits of your child. If you allow cavities and tooth decay to grow bigger, it could spread to other healthy teeth and might cause life threatening infections.
Myth 2: Brushing should start at age two.
Fact: This is another dangerous myth. The moment a tooth breaks out, you need to start brushing your child. If you wait until the childs second birthday, then it might be too late for you to salvage a badly decayed tooth.
You have to know that dental caries and tooth decay can start the moment the first tooth bursts out from the gums. It would be too painful for the child to experience early tooth decay. At first, you may use cotton smeared with very thin toothpaste to clean the tooth. As more and more baby teeth appear, you can gradually train your child to use soft-bristled toothbrush.
Myth 3: Fluoride should not be used when brushing baby teeth so you need to use non-fluoride toothpaste.
Fact: This is false because fluoride should be delivered onto the baby teeth to make sure that they stay healthy. Of course, you should not use excessive fluoride toothpaste when brushing your babys teeth to avoid dental fluorosis or enamel defect.
According to the World Health Organization, using the right amount of fluoride is very effective in fighting tooth decay. For very small children, the recommended amount of fluoride toothpaste must not be bigger than a grain of rice. For toddlers, brushing with a pea-sized smear of toothpaste would be best.
Myth 4: It is time to go to the dentist when all or most of the baby teeth have erupted.
Fact: If you wait for all the baby teeth to erupt, your child would be about 3 years old. This is rather too late for your child to have his first dental check-up. Remember, caries develop once the first tooth appears. You must not allow tooth decay to hound your child for the first two years of his life.
Forget about the common milk teeth myths. Know the facts about dental care and proper maintenance of baby teeth if you want your child to grow healthier and happier.
by: Georgi Icanov
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