Tooth decay is something one normally associates with adults, but it's happening more and more in young children and toddlers. Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease, five times more common than asthma in children, and significantly more prevalent than chronic bronchitis.
Untreated caries in children may affect the growth of adult teeth, with poor dental health and disease persisting into adulthood. Caries can lead to infection, pain, abscesses, chewing problems, malnutrition and gastrointestinal disorders. It can affect speech and articulation, and like many chronic diseases, the risk factors of early childhood caries also contribute to childhood obesity and malnutrition.
Children with poor dental health may also experience associated symptoms, including inadequate nutrition, poor self-esteem and problems with speech development.
What makes is even more terrifying is the fact that child's dental problems begin very early and it is not unusual to find multiple cavities in children under age of five. In toddlers, teeth start to decay, even before they are completely grown in. Specialists like parents remains puzzled as to exactly why tooth decay strikes children at that early age.
Also parents have tendency to believe that baby teeth are not important because they fall out. On contrary, Baby teeth play an important role as place holders for permanent teeth. If baby tooth is lost too early, the teeth beside it may drift into the empty space. When it is time for the adult teeth to come in, there may not be enough room. This can make the teeth crooked or crowded which can require braces.
Treatment and Prevention
Most children will experience dental health problems at some point that will require professional care. The treatment options for tooth decay for each individual child will vary depending on how far the disease has progressed.The American Dental Association recommends that children make their initial visit to a dentist by their first birthday. A visit to dentist will help to evaluate child's caries risk.
Parents should make sure that their children practice good oral hygiene by brushing teeth after meals and by regular flossing. Children should be supervised in proper flossing techniques until the age of 10. If parents should have any concerns about their child's dental health, they will have to take immediate action to correct the problem. Any delay could have serious conveniences on child's dental and general heath.
Prevention starts with the measures that every mother should take even before her baby is bon. The fact that babies has teeth growing inside gums before they are born, means the mother can do something about her baby's dental health while she is pregnant.
As for her own teeth she should not neglect them during the pregnancy. Proper nutrition and dental hygiene will insure mother's good dental health. Mother's poor dental health can have a lasting affect on her own general health and baby's health. The developing foetus needs vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to form beautiful teeth. Although baby's first tooth may not appear until it is six or nine month old, the mother should help her baby to develop healthy teeth by having balanced nutritious diet during the pregnancy.
Very often question asked is balanced diet sufficient to in sure a healthy teeth for the mother and her baby?As for young children the balanced diet and proper dental hygiene is not sufficient to guarantee beautiful, cavities free teeth.
Most people including dentists are convinced that the primary cause of tooth decay is a bacteria in our mouth. But the fact is that all brushing; flossing and fluoride treatments alone can not stop the disease. One should agree that nutrition is very important element in fighting the disease. Many books and reports are written on the subject, on the relationship between diet and tooth decay. Again different combination of food versus other food does not provide the answer.
The truth is that all kind of food that we should take daily does not guaranty the results. It goes beyond the question of food combination. It is a problem related to nutritional value of food that we consume in general, to a depletion of soils of important minerals due to the modern farming and usage of to much of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
This leads us to two very important questions. Does the processed food in our modern societies contain all necessary nutrients and in the right quantities? And are the nutrients absorption levels adequate? The answer is NO! The fact is that all humans regardless of age have to take the nutritional supplement in order to have healthy teeth. This applies to pregnant mothers, toddlers, small children and adults.
Parent should carefully monitor their children dental health. Very early detection of demineralization of teeth, chalky white spots or lines, will require diet modification and supplementation to allow mineralization of teeth.
Calcium rich food is very important for developing healthy teeth. Many scientific studies have showed that our modern diet is lacking in vitamin D.The optimal form of vitamin D is vitamin D3. This is the form that is naturally produced within the human body when exposed to sunlight.
Cod Liver Oil contains high amounts of the vitamin D3. Vitamin D facilitates the delivery and retention of calcium into the teeth, which in return strengthen tooth enamel, making teeth stronger and more resistant to usage, cracking and the bacteria in the mouth. In a clinical study, children who received one tablespoon of cod liver oil per day for one year reduced the number of new cavities by ½ compared with children who did not receive cod liver oil.
Body Odor In Young ChildrenIn conclusion, improved calcium reach nutrition, and supplementation with cod liver oil will definitely help children's teeth, make them stronger and more resistant to tooth decay. But is it sufficient to completely cure and prevent tooth decay? Unfortunately No!
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Author: Suzanna Gazzari is accomplished economist and entrepreneur. She is versatile person with broad interests in politics, social and environmental issues. She appreciates talents in visual arts, literature and music. For her personal reasons and experiences, she is believer in natural healing and power of herbs. She is a contributor to several writing sites and author of: [http://www.curetoothdecayforlife.com]