Brushing children's teeth

Caring for the teeth and gums of infants and children is essential for them to enjoy good oral health when they reach adults. To prevent oral diseases, which are mainly tooth decay and gum diseases, it is enough to follow proper dental hygiene and eat the right foods. The dental hygiene of children

Caring for the teeth and gums of infants and children is essential for them to enjoy good oral health when they reach adults. To prevent oral diseases, which are mainly tooth decay and gum diseases, it is enough to follow proper dental hygiene and eat the right foods.

The dental hygiene of children

It should always be remembered that we should brush our teeth and gums after every meal, and always before going to bed. This last brushing is the most important of the day, since during sleep the decay can be more destructive. The children's brush should be small head and a small amount of pea-sized toothpaste should always be used. Teaching children to brush their teeth as a habit or routine helps prevent oral diseases, however, it is necessary to supervise their brushing until young children know how to do it correctly.

These are general recommendations for everyone, but children who have asthma and use inhalers, or cough syrups that carry sugar should brush their teeth after taking the medicines. And to heal the gums that bleed, contrary to what may seem, we must insist on brushing. In addition, it is important that all children go to the dentist for revision at least once a year, especially children suffering from chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

As for food, juices, soft drinks, smoothies, sweets, pastries or sweets are sugary foods that can cause cavities. Therefore, it is advisable to limit their consumption, that is, not to take them daily or use them as prizes to motivate good behaviors. Water is the best drink for both children and adults, it is recommended to eat five meals a day and avoid snacks between meals.

And we must not forget what is the process of caries formation. For children to understand and become aware of the importance of good dental hygiene we could summarize the process of caries formation in a math-related operation: bacteria in the mouth + sweet foods + time = acid = caries. In other words, when sugary foods come in contact with bacteria in the mouth (dental plaque) an acid is produced that attacks the enamel of the tooth and can gradually destroy it in its entirety.

However, it is little known that the hole caries produces in the tooth does not only cause local damage, but decay also produces a deferred damage in other organs of the body such as the kidneys, heart and joints.

Marisol New. Guiainfantil.com