One of the most frequently asked questions by parents about their children is “Is it necessary to brush milk teeth? He can’t even hold the spoon, how will he brush it?” such complaints are included. However, oral care begins with the birth of your baby. During the breastfeeding period, oral care with wet gauze after breastfeeding should be replaced by the brush with the eruption of the first teeth. Parents are the people who will brush their babies’ teeth once a day. Every child who has completed the age of 2 must brush their teeth twice a day.
Healthy milk teeth mean healthy permanent teeth and a beautiful smile. Milk teeth are the precursors of the permanent teeth that will erupt in the future. For this reason, it is very important that milk teeth fall out on time. Deciduous teeth that are lost prematurely due to neglect or other reasons lead to the improper eruption of the permanent teeth, and often their failure to erupt. The importance given to milk teeth affects permanent teeth to the same extent. Achieving this importance is possible with correct eating habits and correct brushing.
Let’s take a brief look at these.
• A soft children’s brush and a tube of child-toothpaste should be used.
• Toothbrushes should be renewed every 1-2 months.
• Teeth should be brushed with vertical movements (up-down movements) in such a way that the brush touches the gums.
• The chewing surfaces of the grinding milk teeth should be brushed with short horizontal movements.
Mouth rinsing can sometimes be a problem in young children. After brushing the teeth, it is not necessary to rinse the mouth with water, it will be enough to spit out the paste.
Brushing teeth doesn’t just protect teeth. It also provides care for the gums, which are as important as the teeth. Healthy gums mean healthy teeth. Because many times, teeth are lost due to discomfort in the gums. Nutrition is just as important as oral care. Proper nutrition keeps teeth and gums healthy. Nutrition refers not only to the food we eat, but also to our habits.
In a healthy eating habit, only sugar-free foods should be given in between meals.
Snacking twice a day between meals rots teeth. Sugary foods should only be eaten during basic meals. In doing so, the following should not be overlooked:
• Consuming sugary foods and drinks at once, not in small portions at intervals, causes less damage to the teeth.
• Residues of sugary food or drinks in the mouth should be cleaned immediately (within the first ten minutes) with a toothbrush.
• Excess sugary foods and drinks prevent healthy eating and cut off the appetite.
• They can also lead to excess weight.
Healthy foods for snacks include:
– Apples, carrots, fresh fruit and vegetables in general
– Black bread, rice waffles, coarsely ground grain rusks
– Plain curd cheese or yogurt with cheese, nuts and fresh fruit
– The most suitable beverage is just water.
Foods that would not be healthy for snacks include:
– Bread spread with banana, dried fruit, jam or honey
– Ice cream, chocolate, sweet cake and donuts, desserts eaten by licking
– Since fruit cakes contain sugar and flour, they easily stick to the teeth.
– Sugary cakes and biscuits made for babies;
– Sweet and sugary drinks.
Every word that says “sugar free” doesn’t mean sugar free!
The word “sugar-free” on a food means that it does not contain only crystalline sugar. But, for example, the same substance may contain other types of sugar, such as fruit sugar, grape sugar, and the like. Foods containing similar sugars cause tartar (tartar) when taken frequently. Therefore, only sugar-free products with the TOOTH FRIENDLY label can be trusted to not harm the teeth.
If sugar is not eaten, calculus (tartar) will not form!
Frequent consumption of sugar-containing foods and beverages is the main cause of tooth decay. However, it poses a risk not only for tooth decay but also for gum diseases. Bacteria on the plaque layer that forms on the tooth surface transforms sugar into a kind of acid in the first few minutes. This acid has a dissolving effect on tooth enamel and bone. In addition, bacteria secrete toxic substances, causing gingivitis and gradually bleeding. This situation can only be prevented by infrequent consumption of sugar and daily careful cleaning of the teeth.
On the other hand, the most important task in the nutrition of babies falls on the mothers. Mothers should take some precautions to ensure that their babies have healthy teeth. These:
• The fluid requirement of infants is generally met with milk. In hot weather or in addition to porridge, the best liquid to give the baby to quench his thirst is water.
• Be careful about the drink you put in the bottle: Sherbet, syrup and similar sugary drinks will damage the baby’s teeth when they are drunk for a long time or before sleep. The production of saliva, which has a protective function against acid, is about ten times less during sleep than when awake. Therefore, the risk of tartar formation is high.
• Fruit juices and vitamin-containing drinks are not suitable for quenching thirst, as they contain acid, which, in addition to sugar, facilitates the formation of tartar on the teeth.
«It is best to just give water to drink at night!»
Ripe fruits should be used for puree meals for babies. Thus, the need for sweets is adequately satisfied. Added sugar or honey etc. Giving is harmful. Purchased ready-made purees often contain sugar, so you should pay attention to the compositions they contain. If sweets are kept different from normal food and only served on special occasions, children will learn to adapt. Pacifiers should never be given by dipping them in honey or sugar!
Milk teeth are a gift that nature offers us. Pearly teeth and beautiful smiles are only possible with good habits.
