Dentists Remind About Good Oral Health As Babies As Young As One Are Hospitalised With Tooth Decay

Dentists are reminding parents of the importance of good oral health for their kids after babies as young as one-year-old are being hospitalised for tooth decay.

Data shows that 24 babies under one in South Australia alone have required a full anaesthetic to treat decay last year, with many getting their teeth extracted.

But the number rises to 2500 for under eight-year-olds, and the rate is continuously rising.

Dr Mark Penrose of the SA Dental Service said that some of the children he encountered have teeth that were just too rotten.

“I’ve taken every tooth out of a child’s mouth, and that was a child about three or four,” he said. “I couldn’t save them. They were black stumps”.

The alarming increase in young children needing dental surgery has prompted dentists to look closely at parents because tooth decay in young children is mostly a preventable issue.

Dentist say that some of the causes of tooth decay are not cleaning teeth, consuming sugary drinks and foods, and putting a baby to bed with a bottle of milk.

They added that the cost of visiting them is not to blame, as 250,000 South Australian children under 18 are eligible for free dental care, but only a third of those eligible, are turning up.

Kidspot has shared six important dental care tips to help parents keep their kid’s teeth as healthy as possible.

1. Clean your baby’s mouth, long before his teeth arrive, by gently wiping his gums with a damp washcloth wrapped around a finger after every feed.

2. As soon as the teeth appear, take care of it as baby teeth are just as important as the permanent teeth that will come later. The baby teeth hold the space that the permanent teeth will need for correct placement and help your baby talk and eat.

3. Check if their teeth already have holes. The first signs of cavities in baby teeth are usually a discolouration in the tooth.

4. Give him a drink of water after every meal so that most foods will be simply washed off your baby’s teeth.

5. Make sure that he is getting enough fluoride, not just from a fluoride toothpaste but through his drinking water. Fluoride is extremely important for preventing tooth decay and was introduced into the water supply for this very reason.

6. Take him to the dentist, not when the time comes that your baby loses his tooth, nor the beginning of school, but at around the age of three (unless your child is complaining of toothache way before he reaches three years old).

Sources: Au.news.yahoo.com, Kidspot.com.au and Better Health Channel