Visions of Tooth Decay by Christie A. Hansen
Visions of sugar plums dance through kids' heads long before Christmas Eve. In fact, for most youngsters, anytime is a great time for sweets. They get suckers at the bank's drive-through window, Smarties at the checkout of the grocery store, and goodies each time they visit Grandma. Considering all the candy my own kids eat and in light of a recent phone conversation with a friend, I've been having visions of my own--visions of tooth decay.
Until a week ago I felt secure with the attention my kids' teeth were getting. In addition to regular brushing, both children have been taking fluoride supplements. I even asked my dentist when my, "then three-year old son needed to come for his first visit. "Before he turns five," was his response. As I hadn't noticed anything unusual about my son's teeth, waiting awhile seemed reasonable.
Then came the phone conversation that changed everything. It started simply enough. I called my friend Mimi to arrange a time for our sons to get together to play. But they couldn't since both her sons, age four and two, ahd dentist appointments. "Dentist appointments for both of them?" I asked, suprised. "Isn't two kind of young to be going to the dentist?" Apparently not. Come to find out, her four-year-old started seeing a pediatric dentist for check-ups at 18 months.
Could my own dentist have been that far off? Were both my kids overdue for dentist apopintments? I decided to find out. The results? Mimi was right. I called the office of Dale S. Hibbert, a pediatric dentist in Layton and talked with Angie Anderson, a dental assistant. She said that Dr. Hibbert recommends seeing kids for their first check-up at around 16 - 18 months. Seeing the dentist early allows him to spot potential problems. ONeo f the most common problems he sees is bottle rot--a condition caused by regularly putting infants to bed witha bottle of milk or juice....
Teeth tickling & other tricks by Christie A. Hansen
A frustrated mother writes, "My three-year-old son refuses to brush his teeth. He won't let me do it. He won't do it himself. He won't do it with toothapste or without. I've tried praise, punishment--even threats. Nothing works. Whenever I pull out the toothbrush, he clamps his mouth shut tight. I'm at my wit's end."
I hear you. My son went through a similar phrase, and my 20-month-old daughter is just starting one. Even though I know that brushing kids' teeth is important, lecturing them about the need to brush in order to prevent cavities, plaque and tooth decay seems to go in one ear and out the other. So what's a parent to do?
After informally interviewing friends and neighbors, and afgter many trials and errors of my own, I've hit upon some tricks and tips.
First, try to make brushing fun. My son is fascinated by lions, tigers and other ferocious animals. So I started calling myself a Tiger Dentist (or his current favorite) and asked to see his sharp teeth. Through using this method, I discovered that roaring is a great way to expose molars, and growling and snarling uncover front and side teeth.
Of course there are less violent ways to get the job done. Some parents report that making up a brushing song helps. Others have discovered that brushing their own teeth first yields results. The "you brush my teeth, and I'll burhs yours" tactic may also come in handy.
One friend I spoke with said that using bubble gum flavored toothpaste solved her kids' brushing battles. Perhaps it's the taste of the paste that your children object to. (Note: Because kids do swallow toothpaste, it's important to place only a match head size portion on their toothbrushes.)
Having the right toothbrush can also improve kids' brushing outlook. Use a small soft bristled children's toothbrush.
Whatever you do, don't give up. When it comes to avoiding cavities, an ounce of prevention is worth 10 pounds of cure.
