Baby teeth matter – take care of them!

[1 February 2010 - 15h15]

The oral health of your baby is at stake even before birth, but also, of course, during the first years of life! To safeguard your little one’s teeth, it’s important to follow a few basic precautions.

Early tooth decay can develop at any time. In fact, dental caries – which, it should be noted, is highly contagious – can be transmitted by the mother-to-be to her unborn child. It is also important to be careful about your baby’s diet: although breastfeeding promotes good jaw development, breast milk itself – just like cow’s milk – contains sugar. So it has a strong potential to cause decay. Even before your baby’s teeth appear it is worth “washing” his gums with cotton wool soaked in saline solution. He will soon start enjoying this little massage of the gums…

Keeping milk teeth healthy is very important as it will affect chewing and the emergence of the permanent teeth. Brushing is best done with 500 ppm fluoride toothpaste, once a day before the age of 3 and twice a day between the ages of 3 and 6. Extracting damaged milk teeth is not without its risks as it can unbalance the arrangement of the teeth. Make sure your child has a 6-monthly check-up with a dentist: dealing with decay in milk teeth will help to prevent bacterial contamination of the adult teeth.

The first molars will appear followed by the canines between the ages of 7 and 8. It is then recommended to brush teeth three times a day to keep the new, permanent teeth in good condition. You can then change to a 1000 ppm fluoride toothpaste. And whatever your child’s age, make sure that he drinks mainly water rather than other drinks as this is without doubt one of the best ways of protecting teeth from decay. In 2008, the AFSSaPS (the French Agency for Health Safety) stopped recommending the automatic use of fluoride supplements: these served no useful purpose after the emergence of the milk teeth and were required only by the 15% of children at particular risk of tooth decay.

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