How Much Do You Really Know About Keeping Your Children’s Teeth Healthy?

Expectant mothers expect to deal with tooth-related milestones in their child’s early years, such as teething and even the eventual shedding of those baby teeth to the Tooth Fairy. But there are many facets of children’s oral health that may not be as well known. For example, did you know that using sugary fluids in your baby’s bottle too frequently could promote constant acid production in your child’s mouth leading to early childhood decay? Did you know that parents and caregivers who have decay transmit the bacteria that cause decay to their children?

Baby or primary teeth serve as guides for permanent teeth and, therefore, their health sets the stage for the health and proper function of their permanent successors. A comprehensive examination during a child’s first visit can help uncover any underlying conditions that might be indicative of future problems, like tooth decay that can start as early as the age of six months when their first teeth appear. So the “Age One Visit” is the right time for a first dental visit.

What else do you know or want to know? Take our short quiz to help your child. The answers are listed at the bottom of this article.

The Quiz

1. Mounting evidence suggests that a child’s oral health is most closely tied to which relative?
   1. Mother
   2. Father
   3. Brother
   4. Sister
2. Parents should bring their children to see a pediatric dentist:
   1. Once they turn two?
   2. Before they start kindergarten?
   3. Preferably before their first birthday?
   4. When they start to lose their baby teeth?
3. Tooth decay that occurs in infants and young children is referred to as what?
   1. Primary tooth decay
   2. Early Childhood Caries
   3. Diapers to Decay Disease
   4. Pediatric Dental Caries Syndrome
4. To help diminish the likelihood that your baby/infant will develop a cavity, you should:
   1. Restrict the amount of sugary fluids your child drinks to mealtimes
   2. Maintain proper oral hygiene to reduce harmful bacteria
   3. Use fluoride to make the teeth more resistant to acid attack
   4. All of the above
5. Infants are most susceptible to tooth decay when:
   1. Breast feeding
   2. Drinking milk from a bottle during meal times
   3. Sucking on a pacifier that has been dipped in jam
   4. Sleeping on their sides

The Answers

1) a = mother 2) c = before their first birthday 3) b = early childhood caries 4) d = all of the above 5) c = sucking on a pacifier that has been dipped in jam

Your baby’s first visit to the dentist will cover a lot of ground, including diagnosis, prevention, education, and treatment as we help start him or her on the path to long-lasting oral and dental health. Call our office to schedule an appointment now. You can also learn more about pediatric tooth decay by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Age One Dental Visit — Why It’s Important For Your Baby.”