A Sunbury dentist advises on children’s oral health

Just because our children will lose their milk teeth and grow adult ones, doesn’t mean they don’t need to be taught oral care. A Sunbury dentist has spoken out about the lack of oral health care in children; it seems that children aren’t being taught about oral hygiene until later in life. The problem may be that we tend to think about our children’s teeth at a much later stage in their development, than we do about talking and walking. A baby can develop teeth problems from the moment they are born, even before our children get their milk teeth they can develop dental disorders. Acid build up in their mouth is a by-product of milk formula which is counteracted by their saliva production, but we tend to feed them just before they are due for a sleep. When sleeping their saliva gland stops producing and acid builds up, this eats at the enamel when they get their first molars. If we start associating cleaning the teeth with a fun attitude, then they will pick up good oral hygiene habits early. We also need to make sure that they have the right tooth brush, use the correct tooth paste and learn to floss as early as possible. It is also important that they get into the habit of regular dentist visits; this is to get them into the habit and also to eliminate any dental phobias they may develop. As we teach them to do simple things like learning to swim, so they don’t develop a fear of water, we would be doing them a big service in our parental duty in teaching them to keep their teeth and have no fear of getting treatment when they need it. A nice smile and a building of confidence will also be a reward of early learning in oral hygiene care.