Looking after your children's teeth is as easy as counting 1-2-3.
01
eat well
Children need to eat a variety of healthy meals and snacks. Sweet foods can cause tooth decay. Food high in sugar (particularly added sugar) should be limited, especially between meals. Eating a fresh fruit is always better than a sugary fruit juice. Dairy products like cheese and plain milk can help prevent tooth decay.
02
drink well
Healthy drinks are important for healthy teeth. Check if your town water is fluoridated and advocate for it. It is the best public health measure for protecting teeth against decay. Encourage your kids to drink plenty of tap water and limit consumption of sugary drinks. Plain milk, or soy milk with calcium, is likewise better than flavoured milk. Do no let infants and tots sleep with the milk bottle on. Clean their teeth with a washcloth to remove any excess milk in the mouth. Milk gets acidic in the mouth over time no different as when milk goes off.
03
clean well
Twice a day brushing with an age appropriate fluoride toothpaste, after breakfast and before going to bed, is recommended. Children before the age of 7 need to be supervised as kids this age cannot use the toothbrush effectively. After brushing spit instead of rinsing, as the small amount of fluoride toothpaste left in the mouth after spitting continues to protect teeth against tooth decay.
And remember,"Two is too late!"
Establish a DENTAL HOME for your kids by their first birthday. A first dental visit by age one, followed up by regular dental checks once or twice a year and supervised home dental care, should keep kids cavity free.
By incorporating the age one visit and infant oral health examination, parents and dentists can team up to help prevent early childhood caries and lay the foundations for optimal oral health throughout life.
Childhood cavities have been linked to lower than ideal body weight, pain, infection, and lost time in school. The effects of poor oral health may be felt for a lifetime. This can be avoided with regular visits to your family dentist who may need to refer your child for specialist management if needed.
ANZSPD
The DENTAL HOME recommended read.
ASSCID
Dental Care for Children with a Disability and Special Needs
DHSV
Eat Well, Drink Well, Clean Well Tip Cards
ADA
Australian Dental Association Your "Dental Health" page
Kids with special needs
The general rules for good oral care apply to all children. These rules focus on improving resistance to tooth decay, reducing harmful bacteria in the mouth by thorough mouth cleaning, having a balanced diet that is low in refined carbohydrates, and seeing your dental professional regularly. For children with special needs, providing dental care can be difficult and in some cases risky. Therefore, for these children and their families, maintaining oral health is especially important.
Oral Health for the Elderly
Caring for teeth, as our website domain name would suggest, should be from A to Z. Oral health practitioners and carers can apply the same message we tell our young ones. The "young once" also need to:
EAT WELL. Eating healthy food and limiting sugary snacks
DRINK WELL. Drinking tap water every day
CLEAN WELL. Cleaning teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
PLAY WELL. Keeping mind and body active
STAY WELL. Visiting or getting visited by a dental professional regularly.
About this website
This site is still under development.
The domain www.ABCDEntalhub.xyz is owned by Dr Garret Robles, director and principal dentist of MYTOOTHDOCTOR and Project Outback Dental (POD) Pty Ltd.
Contents of this page are mainly links to existing Oral Health Promotion campaigns of the Australian Dental Association, Dental Health Services Victoria, the ANZSPD and ASSCID.
For more information please contact us on 0427298698.
