Tips for Terrific Teeth A Lesson for Parents Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

Start Cleaning Early Start cleaning your babys gums at birth with a soft infant toothbrush and water or with a clean, damp cloth Start using toothpaste with fluoride when your child is 2 years old Take your child to the dentist when the first tooth comes in, usually between 6 and 12 months of age Use toothpaste with fluoride before the age of 2 if your childs doctor or dentist recommends it.

Start Cleaning Teeth Early

Tooth Decay Its important to prevent tooth decay because decay can cause your children a great deal of pain and ruin their teeth. The brown areas (in this picture) show decay caused by sugar and acid sitting on the teeth.

Decay from Sugar and Acid Tooth Decay

Sugar and Acid Come from candy and drinks Look for Citric Acid on food labels. There are many products that have citric acid including sports drinks. Hard candy can get into the grooves of back teeth and stay there letting the sugar and acid damage the hard surfaces of teeth.

Sugar and Acid…

Tooth Decay If the decay is not stopped, it can cause teeth to rot off at the gums, as shown in the picture. The hole in the middle of the stumps is where the nerve used to be. Each tooth is a separate entity and each tooth can have a toothache. This child had multiple toothaches and abscesses. Toothaches are one of the biggest causes of absenteeism in the schools.

Tooth Decay

How can you prevent tooth decay? Encourage your child to drink from a cup around his or her 1 st birthday Children should not fall asleep with a bottle. This traps sugar from the drink in the childs mouth, causing tooth decay Drinking juice from a bottle should be avoided-it should be in a cup or, better yet, give them water!

Prevent Tooth Decay

Use the right amount of fluoride toothpaste Use only a small amount of toothpaste (about the size of a pea) Fluoride is important for fighting cavities, but dont allow your child to swallow the toothpaste. Too much fluoride may cause white spots on his or her teeth Teach your child to spit out the toothpaste and rinse well after brushing.

Use the Right Amount of Fluoride Toothpaste

Supervise Brushing Brush your childs teeth twice a day until the child can handle a toothbrush alone Watch your childs brushing to make sure the child is using only a small amount of toothpaste and covering all surfaces of the teeth with the toothbrush.

Supervise Brushing

Talk to your childs doctor or dentist Ask the doctor or dentist about your childs specific fluoride needs. Children older than 6 months may need extra fluoride if your drinking water does not have enough Children younger than 6 years old should not use a fluoride mouth rinse unless it is recommended by a doctor or dentist After age 2, most children get the right amount of fluoride to help prevent cavities if they drink water that contains fluoride and brush their teeth with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste twice a day.

Talk to Your Childs Doctor or Dentist