How to Prevent ‘Baby’ Tooth Decay:

 
A child’s first set of baby teeth play a very important  role in how their adult teeth form when they get older. So the prevention of baby tooth decay must begin as young as six months or when the first teeth appear.
 
Baby teeth allow your child to eat solid food, speak clearly, and smile spectacularly during family photos. They are also essential  for holding the space in the jaw where adult teeth will form.
 
When baby teeth are lost at too young an age, developing teeth may shift inside your child’s mouth and drift toward these empty spaces. This can cause your child’s adult teeth to come in crooked or crowding each other.
 
Preventing ‘baby tooth’ decay starts by providing your child with good oral care at a young age.
Often, this form of decay attacks your child’s upper front teeth, but in some cases the whole mouth can be affected.
In extreme cases, the damage caused by baby tooth decay cannot be repaired and the teeth must be removed.
 
Some tips to prevent this:
• Wipe your child’s gums after each feeding with a clean, damp cloth to remove pieces of food and plaque that can build up after a meal.
•Brush your child’s teeth yourself until they reach the age of at least seven or eight. Children who are left to brush their own teeth at a young age often miss important areas that need to be cleaned regularly.
• Resist placing juices or any other sweetened liquids into bottles. Use bottles only for formula, breast milk, milk or water.
Move your child to a cup after the age of 12 months.
• Finishing feeding your child before bedtime, and do not give your child a bottle as they fall asleep.
• Parents should consider improving their own oral health by brushing, flossing, and using mouth wash to decrease the amount of tooth decay causing bacteria in their own mouths.
 
Book your child a check up as soon as their first teeth begin to appear. If you make visits to the dentist as routine as doctors check ups, your child can avoid baby tooth decay and grow up with a healthy teeth and a beautiful smile.
The Courtyard Clinic offers dental and orthodontic consultations for all children. Parents please call Alison on  01932 582949 to book your child’s first appointment.