When you look at a baby, so cute, so perfect, you can hardly imagine that his teeth, perhaps, have any cavities. However, it is more common than you might think. A study by the HM Nen Hospital of Barcelona, in which 300 children have participated, ensures that one in four suffer from this severe early childhood injury. This issue has also been dealt with previously by the World Health Organization (WHO), which ensured that more than 530 million minors around the world had them in their milk teethaccording to a 2021 report. In addition, and over the last 10 years, cases have been progressively increasing, according to the pediatric dentist Ruth Mayneresponsible for the Odontobebé Service of the same hospital and coordinator of the investigation.
Despite the fact that it is about baby teeth, the matter is important and must be taken into account. Anna Velosodentist specialized in babies, states that these cavities can cause damage to the primary and future permanent teeth and cause problems in the development, growth and learning of children. “It has been associated with other medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease,” she adds.
Sugary products and lack of hygiene, among the causes
The increase in the prevalence of caries seems to be related to two circumstances. Mayné explains: “For a few years there has been a strong anti-fluoride current that has caused an increase in this pathology. In addition to the misleading advertising of sugary products for babies in high demand: fruit packets, dairy drinks, soft packaged breads and a long etcetera.
The good news is that this disease, although very prevalent, is easily preventable: “For this reason, promoting children’s oral health is essential to maintain hygiene and the correct development of the functions of digestion, phonation and breathing”, says Mayne. Prevention at such an early age also depends “fundamentally on the action of the parents,” says the dentist.
No sugar up to two years
Both Mayné and Veloso, both dentists, stress the importance of caring for their teeth since they are babies. And they make some more recommendations: “You have to start brushing from the eruption of the first temporary tooth with 1,000 ppm toothpaste [partes por millón] fluoride, with a toothbrush adapted to their age —small rounded head with filaments of nylon soft and with an ergonomic and rubberized handle for the hands of potatoes—; do it twice a day and maintain a healthy and balanced diet made up of natural foods that, if they contain sugar, are intrinsic —that of food, such as fructose—”, says Veloso, who recommends avoiding it in children up to two years old.
There is no specific age at which to start brushing because, as Mayné affirms, each boy or girl is different: “In some the first tooth may erupt at four months, while others, at 13, still have no teeth, and until it comes out, it will not be necessary to brush it. But we can also find some children who are born with them, and we will start at that time.”
The first brushings should be done by the parents. “The best brushing technique is standing behind the child, since this position allows you to keep their head more stable and raise the upper lip to reach the area between the gums and the upper teeth (where the gum lesions begin). cavities)”, explains this pediatric dentist.
The benefits of thimbles and teethers
Before the teeth come in, it is recommended that parents use silicone thimbles to stimulate the gums. Teethers are also a good option. Although not all children like them equally, they are very useful for relieving the discomfort caused by first teething: “Some are designed to be put in the fridge, which adds the cold as a way of of relief”, argues Mayné.
Veloso adds one more advantage: “By incorporating these toys early in babies, their senses are stimulated, since they allow them to explore and discover new shapes, colors and textures, a whole sensory experience that, in addition, later helps them to accept the toothbrush is better. Of course, when choosing them it is essential that they are flexible and light so that they are easy to use. “They must be able to adapt to their little hands, be made in one piece and have no holes, so that mold does not accumulate inside,” adds the doctor.
Other teething problems
In addition to cavities and the discomfort of the first teeth, babies up to three years old can have these other problems:
- Lingual frenulum, which can prevent proper breastfeeding, so it is important “to solve it as soon as possible by performing afrenotomy (cutting the frenulum)”, says the dentist Mayné.
- Trauma. “They are very common in young children. We must review them whenever there is involvement of teeth or maxillary bones. A trauma in baby or temporary teeth can have serious consequences in the permanent or definitive dentition”, explains Mayné.
- Malocclusions: incorrect closing or biting of the teeth. “They tend to have a large genetic load and a functional load (habits),” he says. And the dentist continues: “We can modify it by giving advice on teats, suction habits (finger or digital suction), breathing (referring to the otolaryngologist to rule out alterations), or placing tracks or composites and carving teeth on baby teeth in very young children. little ones”.
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