Children's teeth - you should know that

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Parents should take care of their children's dental health from an early age. Some believe that milk teeth do not need special care because they fall out after a few years anyway - but this is a big mistake. Read more about how children's teeth are properly cared for and how you can help ensure that your child goes to the dentist without a doctor!

Brush from the first tooth

Children's teeth require careful care right from the start: they have tooth enamel that is more easily attacked and destroyed by tooth decay than the enamel of permanent teeth - and only from the third year after it has erupted.

The first teeth should also be kept healthy because they have a significant influence on the development of the jaw and the health of the permanent teeth. Caries pathogens can be transmitted from the milk teeth to the newly erupted, permanent teeth. In addition, the milk teeth serve as placeholders for the permanent teeth. If they are lost prematurely, there is a risk of misalignment of the new teeth.

Strong fluoride

It is best to start dental care shortly after teething. Buy a special children's toothpaste whose ingredients are balanced in such a way that swallowing has no consequences. Children's toothpaste contains a maximum of 500 milligrams of fluoride per kilogram of toothpaste (500 ppm). Use cotton swabs or a particularly soft, small children's toothbrush and apply a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. Use it to clean the small teeth at least once a day.

Fluoride is important for the formation of healthy teeth. However, it can not only be applied in the form of toothpaste - many children also receive fluoride in tablet form. The permanent teeth that grow in the jaw also absorb this active ingredient. In this way, they are already strengthened during the educational process.

As a parent, you should discuss the forms, combinations, and dosages of fluoride for your child with the dentist or pediatrician. In fact, incorrect use of fluoride can cause white areas on growing teeth. Long-term, severe overdosing also threatens bone changes. It should be noted that foods such as salt or mineral water sometimes contain fluoride.

Cleaning with KAI

At around the age of three, your child can start brushing their teeth twice a day under your supervision. Special toothbrushing techniques train the child in systematic cleaning so that no tooth surface is forgotten.

One such method is KAI: First the chewing surfaces, then the outside and finally the inside of the teeth are cleaned. The molars should be brushed particularly thoroughly. They are often heavily furrowed on the surface, which can make it difficult to remove any leftover food. In addition, milk teeth are less resilient than permanent teeth - caries can spread more easily in them.

Even if your child conscientiously brushes their teeth themselves - you should brush their children's teeth at least until your child starts school.

The change of teeth

The change of teeth from deciduous dentition to permanent dentition extends over a relatively long period of time: from six to twelve years of age. At around six years of age, the first permanent molar erupts (mostly unnoticed) behind the milk teeth. This tooth is particularly at risk because it is difficult to reach with a toothbrush and its surface is far more rugged than that of the milk teeth.

When you reach school age, you can also switch to an adult toothpaste. It has a fluoride content of 0.1 percent or 1,000 ppm (maximum 1,500 ppm). Here, too, an individual consultation with the dentist is recommended.

The most important thing for the child is a good role model. Brush your teeth together in the morning or in the evening. That motivates the little ones to do it.

Wickie or Lillifee

Let your child choose their own toothbrush. It doesn't matter whether they prefer an electric or manual toothbrush. The main thing is that your child likes the toothbrush and that daily cleaning is fun and does not turn into a fight. That's why children's toothbrushes often have the shape of well-known cartoon characters such as Wickie or Lillifee.

However, you should steer the selection of the toothbrush a little. The ideal children's toothbrush has rounded bristles and is soft. The head should be small to reach all corners. It is also important to have a thick, non-slip handle that sits comfortably and securely in the child's hand.

Once the right children's toothbrush has been found, it should also be used correctly: Make sure that your child

• brushing your teeth after every main meal,
• cleaning for a long enough time (three minutes),
• Forgets no tooth surfaces or even entire teeth.

After each brushing, you should rinse the toothbrush well and let it air dry. After three months it's time to change the brush!

Hooray, I'm going to the dentist

The recommended schedule for the three dental check-up appointments for children is:

• The first check-up appointment should be between 6 and 8 months after the eruption of the first milk teeth.
• The second appointment is scheduled for the 16th to 18th month after the eruption of the first deciduous molars.
• The third check-up is due around the 30th month of life, as soon as the deciduous dentition is complete.

You should then schedule quarterly to six-monthly check-ups with your child at the dentist.

Even if you associate unpleasant experiences with the dentist yourself - try not to pass your fears on to your child. There is no such thing as a congenital dental phobia. Don't threaten the dentist if your child doesn't want to brush their teeth. Rather, turn your visit to the dentist into an event.

It is best to combine the first dentist appointment with your own check-up appointment and sit down on the dentist's chair first. Then your child can watch what happens. Perhaps it is even allowed to play doctor by itself and look into your mouth? Many dental practices today are optimally prepared for the examination and treatment of children. Some dentists have small plastic mirrors that they give to young patients. So your child can play dentist at home with friends or cuddly toys and get used to the situation.

A visit to the dentist is advisable even if your child does not have any dental problems. This is the only way for it to get used to strangers and the environment. If treatment later becomes unavoidable, this familiarity can be immensely helpful.

Special provision

There are special preventive programs (individual prophylaxis) for children, which significantly support the little ones' dental health. This includes, for example, the determination of caries susceptibility, child-friendly information about suitable cleaning techniques and a healthy diet, the sealing of tooth surfaces susceptible to caries and the strengthening of tooth enamel with fluorides.

You should avoid that

Babies are born without bacteria in their mouth. Tooth decay is an infectious disease and over time the children get infected with their parents. This usually happens as a baby when the parents, for example, lick the pacifier, spoon or teat of the drinking bottle. Avoid that and take care of good oral hygiene for yourself.

Do not put sweetened drinks or fruit juices in teat bottles so that they wash around your child's teeth for a long time. Fruit juices may sound healthy, but continuous exposure in feeding bottles endangers dental health. In addition to fructose, which damages the teeth, they also contain acids that can also attack the teeth.

Teat bottles must not be used as a constant companion to calm the child. From one year old children can drink from the cup.

After brushing their teeth in the evening, children should only drink water if they are thirsty.

You shouldn't forbid your child to eat sweets altogether. But there are sweets that taste sweet and are still tooth-friendly. You can recognize these products by labels such as "sugar-free" or the "tooth man with umbrella" on the packaging. Incidentally, sweets from organic shops with cane and fructose are just as damaging to teeth. It is very bad for the teeth if sweets are eaten throughout the day. It is better to only eat sweets once a day and then clean your teeth - this also applies to adults!

Tags:  sleep therapies Baby Child