Today's children can remain virtually cavity free with the proper dental care and knowledge.

It is important for caregivers to model healthy tooth care habits. Keeping your child's teeth healthy isn't hard to do.

Baby teeth are important because they help your child speak clearly, chew food and smile. In addition, baby teeth hold space so permanent teeth come in straight. With today's understanding of healthy dental habits, you can protect your children from the stress of cavity related dental visits.

Healthy Dental Habits

It is very important to take your child to a children's dentist twice a year, starting around the first birthday. You can prepare your child for the first dental visit by explaining how the dentist will help them to have healthy teeth.

You can protect your child's teeth by introducing him or her to healthy dental habits. When you model healthy dental habits, your child will learn to floss teeth once a day, to brush teeth twice a day, and to visit the dentist every six months.

After every bottle feeding take a wet cloth or gauze pad and gently wipe your child's gums. This will help remove any bacteria build up and excess sugar that may have built up along the gum line. It will also prepare your child for future tooth brushing.

Start brushing your child's baby teeth when they first erupt and use only a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste on the brush. Lastly, never give your child a pacifier dipped in any sugary liquid, such as honey or juices. This practice is not healthy for your baby's teeth.

How to Prevent Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Every year thousands of infants and young children suffer from tooth decay. Surprisingly, the major culprits are milk and other liquids from the baby's bottle.

Just like an adult mouth, a baby's mouth is full of bacteria. These bacteria feed on sugars found in the liquids we drink and in the foods we eat. These bacteria produce acid. This acid attacks the tooth and causes cavities.

Many caregivers put their children to sleep with a bottle. They often find that this helps the baby settle down. Unfortunately, when a baby falls asleep with a bottle in its mouth, fluid from the bottle pools around teeth. Night after night of acid attack on the tooth surface results in cavities. In some cases, the entire tooth can be eaten away by the bacteria's acid.

It is especially important to be vigilant against baby bottle tooth decay because baby teeth are susceptible to cavities.

Constant sugar in the mouth can lead to a build-up of bacteria and can cause gingivitis.

Protecting Your Child

What liquid should you put in your baby's bedtime bottle? Natural juices, like grape juice or apple juice contain natural sugars which bacteria can use to create acids. Milk contains a sugar called lactose which bacteria can also use to create acid.

If you give your child a bedtime bottle, fill it with water only. Water contains no sugar and can not be used by the bacteria to make acid.

Finally, never give your baby a pacifier dipped in any type of substance containing sugar. Many parents, for example, give children pacifiers dipped in honey. This can be very bad for the baby's teeth.

When you protect your child from baby bottle tooth decay you ensure a lifetime of smiles.

Dental Sealants

Over half of all childhood cavities occur in the back of the mouth because the molars contain many pits and grooves that are hard to reach with a toothbrush. The bacteria settle here and use food to make an acid. This acid creates cavities.

Sealants are plastic coatings applied to the teeth in order to prevent bacteria from settling in the grooves and pits. Sealants can be easily and quickly applied in the dental office and they provide long lasting protection against cavities.

It is very important for children to use fluoride, good oral hygiene, and dental sealants so they can remain cavity free.

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