A Bad Start for Oral Health

A bad tooth day for your children.

Are you setting your children up for poor oral health? Many people talk about soft teeth or hard teeth that run in their families. Research, however, has never been able to demonstrate hard teeth or soft teeth. Instead, our dental health depends on what we develop during the first three years of life.

Cavities are contagious. Cavities are caused by contagious bacteria.  We get them from our caretakers such as our parents or nannies or grandparents and occasionally even friends.  Are you creating a good start or bad start for your children?

During the first three years of life we develop the bacterial balance in our mouths that will likely last a lifetime. If we are sharing spoons, glasses, slobbery kisses and other fun parent child engagements, then we will pick up the bacteria that inhabit our mouths from those people.

One of the best things we can do for our children is clean up our own dental health before our children begin to grow teeth. If we clean up our own oral health the number of cavity causing bacteria will be reduced in our mouths and the contagion that we transmit to our children will be reduced and delayed.

This change will create a lifetime benefit.  And remember, this does not mean you have to get all those cavities fixed! Though that would help too.  It does mean stopping the disease in our own mouths!  See our other blogs for more information.

Once we have bacteria inhabiting our mouths they will respond to the food we feed them. Our culture has developed the habit of weaning children off of milk and formula onto sweet beverages such as juice. Also sweetened prepared foods.These foods favor the growth of cavity causing bacteria and inhibit the growth of other healthier bacteria.  Choose water to drink and whole foods (blendered) rather than processed foods to eat.

The bacteria that cause cavities also thrive on a hard surface such as a tooth where they can stick and accumulate and generate the kind of acid environment that they enjoy and thrive in. By cleaning your children's teeth effectively each day you reduce the bacteria's ability to thrive in your children's mouths. It is important that parents and caregivers clean children's teeth at least once each day thoroughly and effectively.

Children's hand eye coordination does not develop adequately to do effective tooth cleaning until they are about six and oftentimes not until nine years old. The parents must take responsibility for cleaning the teeth effectively each day beginning with the first tooth and continuing at least until the children are six years old. That should not be a difficult task. It will only take about 20 to 30 seconds if you have learned proper technique from your dentist or our website.

The first three years are critical for developing a good healthy oral environment for your children. Set them up for a lifetime of good oral health. A clean, healthy, cavity free, beautiful smile is easy to create. It takes an awareness of what you're eating which helps general health too and 30 seconds of dedicated time each day to clean their teeth.  Keep smiling!

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