How to look after children’s teeth
Brushing two new little teeth
I heard a couple of really sad and scary tales recently of young children (friends’ of friends) having to have rotten milk teeth removed (one child was having to have twenty removed the other needed five taking out). I couldn’t believe it and wondered whether it was parental ignorance rather than negligence to blame.
Loads of kids at the school my children attend seem to be taken regularly to the bakery or the sweet shop after school for a snack (we head home for bananas, milk and peanut butter on toast). Some kids have squash in their water bottles instead of water (a drink they are meant to have with them in the classroom) to slurp on throughout the day. We frequently get given gifts of sweets when a classmate has had a birthday or has been on holiday. My generation of parents seem to be losing the knowledge that lots of sugar = bad teeth.
I was not given many sweets as a child due to the fact that both my parents spent their childhood muching on boiled sweets, gobstoppers and toffee. They now have a mouth full of filings and crowns and have to endure frequent agony at the dentists. We had a box of Quality Street at Christmas and also Turkish Delight. I used to get a small amount of pocket money and used to spend some of it on sweets at the local shop. They were not banned just not around as a matter of course. We never had fizzy drinks in the house but were allowed as occasional treats.
On hearing the sad tales of children with rotting teeth I wondered what I could do better to ensure my kids learn how to take care of their teeth and to make sure I am doing the right thing.
Improvements to be made:
- Dilute fruit juice (recommended dilution is 1:10 according to dentist literature)
- Stop buying squash
- Help with brushing their teeth morning and night - I do a ‘Mummy brush’ after they have attempted to brush their own teeth
- Ask grandparents to no longer buy sweets as a treat
- Suggest kids don’t spend their pocket money on sweets but take them to a charity shop for little toys, a book shop or a toy shop (or eBay as they love browsing the toys on there!)
- Remind them ‘Oooh we’ll have to give your teeth an extra good brush after that’ if they have been eating sweets at a party to help them remember the connection between sugar and bad teeth
- Book 6 monthly dental check ups for all the family
- Use old fashioned disclosing tablets occasionally to show them where they need to do better brushing (they think these are brilliant as they temporarily turn their mouths bright bright blue)
- Set a good example (only scoff chocolate when they are in bed!) and don’t have sugar on cereal, in coffee etc.
- Remember that dried fruits such as raisins, apricots, banana chips are also high in sugar and they are sticky so the residue can remain on the teeth.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Your post made me think of the poem “I I’d Looked After Me Teeth” by Pam Ayres …. words are here …
http://www.monologues.co.uk/First_Ladies/My_Teeth.htm
September 25th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Sometimes it can just be bad genetics, unfortunately, or sometimes the enamel doesn’t form properly.
Eldest son’s best friend had to have 5 teeth removed recently. He has a really good diet. His mother also has a mouthful of fillings and has had all sorts of problems with compacted wisdom teeth.
So far, touch wood, my two haven’t had any problems although they still aren’t brilliant at brushing their teeth and still get the occasional sweets and sticky stuff. Me, ditto, and I’ve never had a filling.
It just isn’t fair, but it does mean that your judgement on other parents may be an inaccurate one.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:02 am
Good comment there Pewari. It hadn’t occurred to me that some children are just blessed with strong teeth and others may have a weakness in the enamel. Thanks so much for this comment.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Someone told me that it is very common for first born children to have strong teeth and second and third born to have progressively worse teeth as the selfish first born nabbed all their mother’s stock of calcium! Not sure if this is is based on fact but it is definately true of my sister and I.
October 12th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Great list, as this is one of my passions can I also suggest…
Don’t let babies fall asleep with bottles in their mouths
Don’t put babies and children to bed with a bottle (also choking risk!)
Dummies need to be limited - very limited & not used past a certain age
Babies don’t need juice - in fact many other countries recommend not giving juice until a child is at least 1
Parents need to brush their childrens teeth at each brushing until a child is at least 7 years old (I’d argue probably 10 yrs old)
Don’t share your spoons/food with children. Our acidity levels in our mouths are much higher, this means that it creates bacteria in a child’s mouth and alters their ph levels. I feel ill when I see mothers eating their child’s baby food first then giving the spoon and food to the baby
Teeth brushing isn’t sadly always going to prevent cavities, decay etc, enamel, genetics & bacterias are also culprits. But good oral hygeine goes a LONG way!
Great post Ackers!
October 16th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I echo Pewari, although in my eldest son’s case it isn’t genetics so much as a developmental fault on one tooth. All his other teeth are in fantastic shape (according to the dentist), but one of his teeth is brown and sort of ‘broken away’ at the bottom, I felt so awful about it, as we’re pretty careful, but the dentist said that it is a developmental fault.
All my other children’s teeth (I have 4) are fine, just the (bad) luck of the draw for him. He’s 14 and the new dentist we have kindly sorted out a cover for it, ds1 was absolutely thrilled as he has had all sorts of unkind comments about it, which has been very unfair as he’s always looked after his teeth.