Caries in children: recognizing and preventing caries

caries in children

General

Milk teeth are particularly prone to tooth decay because they have soft enamel. Critical areas are above all the furrows of the chewing surfaces of the rear deciduous molars and the front teeth. For this reason, you should start brushing your child’s teeth daily as soon as the first milk tooth erupts.

development of caries

Tooth decay occurs when sugar breaks down to acids directly on the tooth surface. These acids remove minerals from the teeth. This results in a carious defect over the course of a few months. Ultimately, this leads to the destruction of the teeth.

Poor diet is one of the most important and common causes of tooth decay. However, there is no specific diet that can completely prevent tooth decay. However, if you feed your child a balanced diet, you make a significant contribution to your child’s dental health and thus to general health.

detect caries

As a preliminary stage of caries, you can see small white spots where the bacteria dissolve the calcium from the tooth enamel. Dark discolorations can also be an indication of tooth decay. If your child complains of toothache when eating sweet, hot or cold food, this can also indicate progressing tooth decay.

Unfortunately, caries shows little or no symptoms for a very long time. That is why you should take your child to the dentist regularly for check-ups.

remove tooth decay

Even if the milk teeth fall out later, caries in them must be treated. In addition to the chewing function, the milk teeth have the important function of a placeholder. If they are destroyed too early, or even have to be pulled, it can happen that there is a lack of space due to migration of the back teeth and orthodontic treatment is therefore necessary.

prevent tooth decay

Brushing your teeth not only removes leftover food, but also plaque. Plaque consists of bacteria that collect on tooth surfaces and form a sticky film. Your baby’s dental care doesn’t just begin with the eruption of the first tooth. Even before that, you should follow a few rules. Germs that are in your mouth can easily be transmitted to your baby. That’s why you shouldn’t lick your baby’s spoon or pacifier. In this way, caries or periodontitis bacteria can be transmitted very easily, which then spread and multiply in your baby’s mouth before it even has a tooth.

As soon as the first tooth has erupted in your offspring, you should start with dental care. In the beginning it is enough to brush your teeth lightly with a baby toothbrush in the morning and in the evening, even without toothpaste. It is best to use a toothbrush with a small brush head and very soft and short bristles at the beginning.

From when you can start using toothpaste, the best thing to do is to ask your dentist, opinions differ here. If you use toothpaste, you should make sure that it contains fluoride and does not contain sugar. Children’s toothpaste containing fluoride hardens the tooth enamel and prevents tooth decay in your child right from the start. When all the teeth are there, you can use a brush with slightly longer bristles. In order for your child to be able to hold the toothbrush in their own hands, it should have a thick, handy handle.

It would be best to rarely give your child anything tricky, sour, or sticky. Your baby’s teeth need minerals – primarily calcium, phosphate and iron, as well as vitamins and trace elements. Such substances are contained in the following foods: milk and milk products, cheese, vegetables, fruit, high-quality grain products (for example: whole grains, oatmeal), lean meat and eggs.

Sugar is bad for your teeth. Many know this, but few act accordingly. However, if you strictly forbid your child sweets, you increase the attraction of sweets. However, a few rules can limit the damage:

• You should be a role model for your child! Your child should not eat sweets as snacks throughout the day.
• Sugar is also hidden in yoghurt, children’s teas or medicines, as well as many other foods you wouldn’t expect to find it in. It is therefore important that you always read the list of ingredients! Ingredients that come first are the most in the products!
• Make sure you give your child tooth-friendly sweets! They can be recognized by the toothy man with an umbrella.

In principle, it is therefore not necessary to forbid your child sweets. The only important thing is that your child always brushes his or her teeth thoroughly after eating sweets. Proper brushing and the right handling of sweets help to preserve the valuable teeth and save your child from many a tear at the dentist later!