What is the Most Common Chronic Childhood Disease? DO YOU HAVE ANY GUESSES?

Asthma? Allergies? Diabetes? THESE CAN BE VERY SERIOUS DISEASES, WHICH MAY GREATLY IMPACT THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES.. Allergies? Diabetes?

CAVITIES ! DENTAL DECAY IS ACTUALLY THE MOST COMMON DISEASE IN CHILDREN, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS IT IS ALMOST ENTIRELY PREVENTABLE!

Baby Teeth Are Important! Prevent the Spread of Tooth Decay in Babies and Young Children TODAY WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT *WHY BABY TEETH ARE IMPORTANT, *HOW TOOTH DECAY OCCURS, AND *HOW WE CAN PREVENT IT.

Children Need Their Baby Teeth to: Chew and digest food Speak clearly Smile and feel good about how they look Save room for their permanent teeth Last from 6 to 12 years *DENTAL HEALTH IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR CHILD’S OVERALL HEALTH. *OVER 51 MILLION SCHOOL HOURS ARE LOST EACH YEAR TO DENTAL PROBLEMS. *THAT MEANS A LOT OF UNNECESSARY PAIN, TIME AND COST TO CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES.

White Spots: Early and Reversible Signs of Decay *ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE GOING TO LOOK FOR TODAY ARE ANY WHITE SPOTS OR LINES ON YOUR CHILD’S TEETH. THEY USUALLY START TO APPEAR RIGHT NEXT TO THE GUMLINE. *ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH, LIFT UP YOU CHILD’S LIP TO LOOK FOR THESE SPOTS. *THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT AT THIS STAGE, THE DECAY IS REVERSIBLE!

What Causes Tooth Decay in Babies and Young Children? Sharing food and eating utensils Sharing straws and cups Cleaning off pacifier in your mouth *THESE ARE THINGS ALL OF US DO OR HAVE DONE, BUT THIS IS ALSO HOW THE HARMFUL BACTERIA GET FROM OUR MOUTHS TO BABY’S MOUTH. *THAT BACTERIA IS WHAT CAUSES TOOTH DECAY.

Then What Happens? THIS IS THE DECAY PROCESS: WE HAVE A TOOTH AND DECAY-CAUSING BACTERIA. WHEN THE CHILD EATS OR DRINKS, THAT FOOD NOW BECOMES FOOD FOR THE BACTERIA. ACID ON THE TOOTH IS THE RESULT, AND A CAVITY CAN FORM IN AS LITTLE AS SIX WEEKS. SO WHAT CAN WE DO?

Help your child brush Toothbrushing: WHAT CAN WE DO? *BRUSHING YOUR CHILD’S TEETH TWICE A DAY REMOVES THE CAVITY-CAUSING BACTERIA. *MOST CHILDREN WILL NEED HELP WITH THEIR BRUSHING UNTIL AT LEAST AGE 7 OR 8, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE THE COORDINATION TO DO A THOROUGH JOB ON THEIR OWN.

Just a Tiny Dab of Fluoride Toothpaste (the size of a grain of rice) *MOST PEOPLE USE TOO MUCH TOOTHPASTE. *FLUORIDE TOOTHPASTE IS LIKE VITAMINS FOR THE TEETH. LIKE VITAMINS, *ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT IS NECESSARY. * PLEASE MONITOR YOUR CHILD’S USE OF TOOTHPASTE. *MORE IS NOT BETTER.

FLUORIDE Toothpaste *THESE ARE SEVERAL BRANDS OF PLEASANT-TASTING FLUORIDE TOOTHPASTE FOR CHILDREN. *ADULT TOOTHPASTE MAY TASTE TOO STRONG OR “SPICY’ FOR LITTLE ONES.

NO FLUORIDE Read the Label! THESE TOOTHPASTES ARE ALSO MARKETED FOR CHILDREN, BUT DO NOT HAVE ANY CAVITY-PREVENTING FLUORIDE.

Only Milk or Water in Bottle Wean from Bottle by One Year *AVOID USING THE BOTTLE AS A PACIFIER. *OFFER ONLY MILK OR WATER IN THE BOTTLE. *CHILDREN WHO GO TO SLEEP WITH A BOTTLE OR CONTINUE TO USE A BOTTLE AFTER THEY ARE ONE YEAR OLD ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO GET CAVITIES.

Drink and Cook with Tap Water Tap Water Contains Fluoride Most Bottled Water Does Not *ALAMEDA COUNTY WATER IS SAFE TO DRINK AND IS TESTED REGULARLY FOR IMPURITIES. *EVEN YOUR BABY CAN SAFELY DRINK TAP WATER TO STRENGTHEN BOTH THEIR BABY AND PERMANENT, ADULT TEETH. BOILING THE WATER IS NOT NECESSARY. *BOTTLED WATER IS ALSO AN UNNECCESSARY EXPENSE. IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE TASTE OF YOUR WATER, A FILTERING PITCHER OR ATTACHMENT FOR YOUR FAUCET ARE OPTIONS. YOU CAN BUY INEXPENSIVE, REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES AT MOST STORES.

Eat Healthy Snacks Fruit Vegetables Cheese AS YOU HAVE PROBABLY ALREADY LEARNED HERE AT WIC, HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF HEALTHY SNACKS.

Avoid Frequent Sugar Exposure HOW OFTEN SUGARY SNACKS ARE EATEN IS MORE CRITICAL THAN THE AMOUNT EATEN AT A SITTING. FOODS THAT ARE STICKY, AND JUICE OR DRINKS THAT ARE SIPPED SLOWLY ARE MORE LIKEY TO CAUSE DECAY. DO ANY OF THE FOODS IN THIS PICTURE SURPRIZE YOU AS FOODS THAT MAY CAUSE DECAY? WHICH OF THESE DO YOU THINK CAUSES THE MOST CAVITIES IN CHILDREN? (SODA)

First Dental Visit When the 1st teeth come in Or before age one *WE NOW RECOMMEND FINDING A ”DENTAL HOME” FOR YOUR BABY BY AGE ONE. *THE GOAL IS THAT DENTAL PROBLEMS WILL BE AVOIDED, AND HE OR SHE WILL HAVE ONLY POSITIVE DENTAL EXPERIENCES.

Fluoride Varnish Protects Teeth From Decay Easy and Fast Tastes Good Painless Can help reverse white spots so they do not become cavities TODAY, WE ARE GOING TO APPLY FLUORIDE VARNISH TO YOUR CHILD’S TEETH. SOME CHILDREN ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE, BUT SOME WILL CRY, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT USED TO A STRANGER TRYING TO GET INTO THEIR MOUTHS.

Take Good Care of Your Own Teeth, Too! *YOU CAN AVOID MOST DENTAL EMERGENCIES BY GETTING REGULAR DENTAL CARE. *STUDIES ALSO SHOW THAT WOMEN WITH UNTREATED GUM DISEASE HAVE HIGHER RATES OF PREMATURE LABOR AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHT BABIES. AND OF COURSE, *TAKING CARE OF YOUR OWN MOUTH IS A GREAT EXAMPLE TO SET FOR YOUR CHILDREN.

REMEMBER: Baby Teeth Are Important! TRANSMISSION/ LOOK FOR WHITE SPOTS/ BRUSH WITH FLUORIDE TOOTHPASTE GIVE MILK OR WATER ONLY IN BOTTLE/ OFF BOTTLE BY ONE YEAR/ FIRST VISIT BY ONE YEAR/ DRINK TAP WATER/ AVOID FREQUENT STCKY/SUGARY SNACKS/ GIVE HEALTHY SNACKS/ TAKE GOOD CARE OFF YOUR OWN TEETH

“Preventing the Spread of Tooth Decay Adapted from: “Preventing Baby Bottle Tooth Decay” CA. Dept. of Health Services and “Preventing the Spread of Tooth Decay in Babies and Young Children” Alameda County Health Department Office of Dental Health (2003) by : Linda Giordano Cannon, RDH (2009)