|
Over the past 25 years, tooth decay has been reduced among American children,
but it’s still common—by age three, about 25 percent of U.S. children have some
decay. That’s a big decrease since you were a kid, but that’s still one out of four
kids.
How Tooth Decay Happens
Decay occurs when bacteria in the mouth break down sugars in food we’ve eaten
and produce acid. The acid eats away at the hard enamel covering the tooth, causing
cavities (or caries, as dentists call them). The germ that causes most decay is
called Streptococcus mutans. Although any carbohydrate can provide fuel for the bacteria,
more damage is done by simple sugars such as sucrose (table sugar), lactose
(found in milk), and fructose (found in fruit).
What matters most is how long the sugar remains on the teeth. A bottle of milk
that is sipped gradually for an hour will lead to the production of far more acid
than a bottle of milk that is downed in 10 minutes. A less sugary food munched
on throughout the day may do more damage than a high-sugar candy bar that is eaten quickly and washed down with water. So a child who snacks or sips throughout
the day is at higher risk for cavities than a child who eats only at meals or set
snack times. As described later, the child most at risk for tooth decay is one who
goes to sleep with a bottle of formula, juice, or milk.
These are other important factors in tooth decay:
• The virulence of the bacteria. If there is a lot of tooth decay in your family,
it may indicate that your family members have a particularly damaging strain
of bacteria. Because your child is likely to catch this bacteria, he may be at
risk for decay, too. So if tooth decay is a problem for members of your family,
be extra careful about cleaning the teeth and seeing the dentist.
• The health of the teeth. Getting adequate fluoride can strengthen the teeth
and make them better able to resist acid. In some cases, babies are born with
inadequate enamel on their teeth, which makes them more likely to get cavities.
This sometimes happens if the baby was premature or if the mother had
problems with her health or nutrition during pregnancy.
How to Prevent Tooth Decay
From the moment your baby’s teeth first show themselves as little white dots on
the gums, you can begin to keep them strong and healthy.
Beware the Bottle
To protect your child’s teeth from early decay, take these actions:
• Never put your baby to bed with a bottle of formula, milk, juice, or anything
but water. These liquids can pool in your child’s mouth, bathing the front
teeth (especially the upper set) for hours in decay-promoting sugars. The
results can be dramatic: The front teeth can decay so badly that they have to
be removed, which may require the use of general anesthesia. This kind of
decay is sometimes called “nursing caries” or “baby-bottle tooth decay.”
• For the same reason, don’t use a bottle as a pacifier, letting your baby hold it
and sip throughout the day. Reserve the bottle for mealtime or snack time,
and remove it when the meal is done.
• Once your baby can handle a cup, minimize use of a bottle; use it only for
water, or wean your baby completely.
Eat Well, Drink Well, and Avoid Decay
When your baby begins to eat solid food, aim for well-balanced variety, Choose healthy foods right from the
start to set a pattern for your child’s tastes: If your child doesn’t develop a “sweet tooth” when he’s young, he’s less likely to struggle with controlling one later on.
Some feeding strategies are particularly important for dental health:
• Discourage your child from
snacking on and off all day long.
Instead, try to set a pattern of
meals and snacks that are consumed
in brief periods of time.
• Candy, cookies, cake, chips, and
crackers are high in sugar and
simple carbohydrates that tend to
promote tooth decay. Give them
to your child rarely, and don’t keep them around the house. As a snack, offer
cheese, fruit, or plain yogurt; or, when your child is old enough, offer cut-up
cucumber, celery, carrots, or other raw vegetables. Read the labels: Many
processed foods—from breakfast cereal to peanut butter—may contain more
sugar than you expect.
• Sugary and sticky foods (including raisins and other dried fruit) are less damaging
if they are eaten as part of a meal rather than if they are eaten alone.
• Don’t be seduced by fruit juice. Even 100 percent juice can keep your child’s
teeth bathed in sugar. It also can train children to expect sweet drinks, a taste
that will lead them straight to soda when they are older. And fruit juices can
crowd out milk, which children need to get enough calcium for the strongest
possible bones and teeth. For all these reasons, keep juice drinking within
limits, perhaps a cup a day or less.
Decay-Fighting Fluoride
Fluoride is a mineral that, used in the right dose, helps prevent cavities. In most
large cities, fluoride is added to the tap water; in some other communities it occurs
naturally in the water. In these cases, your baby will get enough in breast milk or
in formula made with tap water. (Premixed formula generally contains adequate
fluoride as well.) A local pediatrician, family physician, or dentist should be able
to tell you whether your water supply contains enough fluoride (at least 0.3 part
per million); if not, he or she may prescribe fluoride drops for your baby or vitamin
drops that include fluoride. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends
that such fluoride supplements should not be given to babies younger
than six months.
|
