1. A Healthy Mouth is Important!
Greetings
Do we all agree that Oral Health is Important?
Let’s look why OH is so important..

2. Why? Healthy mouth  Healthy Body/Overall health
Your mouth is a window to your Body!
If entrance of a house/place is clean most likely the rest will be too...
Your mouth Can show signs of
Nutritional deficiencies
General infection
Systemic disease (Ex. Diabetes, AIDS)

3. Today you will learn… Why baby teeth are important?
What is tooth decay & how it starts?
What can you do to prevent tooth decay?
Additional useful information

4. Baby Teeth are Important…
To Chew
To Speak
To Smile
To hold space for Adult teeth
Last 6mos. to 12 yrs. of age
Serious infection in baby tooth can
damage the growing adult tooth
A serious tooth infection can be deadly!

5. What is the most common childhood disease?

6. Tooth Decay An infection that is preventable
More common than Asthma & Diabetes
Cavities are the most common, chronic childhood disease

7. How tooth decay happens?
Bacteria or germs
Sugar alone does not cause decay
Can you get a cavity if you have bacteria, but no simple sugar?
No you need sugar for bacteria to produce acid….
Repeated acid attacks make a tooth weak & result in a cavity

8. Are babies born with tooth decay causing bacteria?NO
How does a child get tooth decay causing bacteria?

9. Bacteria is passed… Do Not Share…
From parents/guardian, grandparents, siblings, friends by:
Do Not Share…

10. How can we prevent tooth decay?

11. Prevent Tooth Decay… Breastfeeding: Bottle
Provides essential nutrients
Avoid feeding for long-period of time at night
After 6months or when teeth erupt..
Practice thorough homecare
Bottle
Only milk or water in bottle
No bottle in bed
Wean off bottle by age ONE
Wipe mouth after feeding

12. Prevent Tooth Decay… Introduce Sippy Cup at 6 mos.
Transition Cup
Introduce Sippy Cup at 6 mos.
Aim is to shift from sucking to sipping
No sippy cups to bed
To help your child learn how to sip, look for training cups with the following: A cup with a snap-on or screw-on lid that has a spout, but no valve
Training cups with two handles
Training cups with weighted bases to keep them upright and to cut down on spills

13. Prevent Tooth Decay… Fluoride
a naturally-occurring mineral helps prevent tooth decay
Sources of Fluoride

14. Prevent Tooth Decay… Brush- until 8 years old Floss- when two
teeth touch
*BRUSHING YOUR CHILD’S TEETH TWICE A DAY REMOVES THE CAVITY-CAUSING BACTERIA.
* CHILDREN NEED HELP WITH THEIR BRUSHING UNTIL AT LEAST AGE 8, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE THE COORDINATION TO BRUSH THOROUGHLY ON THEIR OWN.

15. Prevent Tooth Decay… White Spots
Early Decay
Brush 2 times a day with fluoridated
toothpaste and see the dentist
regularly for fluoride varnish
treatments
White Spots
Can be Stopped & Reversed at this stage
1st stage of tooth decay
Use “lift the lip” when brushing

16. Prevent tooth decay…… Choose Tap Water Alameda County tap water:
Ideal amount of fluoride
Safe
May use a faucet filter to remove lead
Bottled Water
Source unknown
Can contain too much or too little fluoride

17. Prevent tooth decay… Choose Healthy Foods/Snacks
Limit juice, sugary snacks, chips and crackers
Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages, like soda
Vegetables
Fruits
Cheese
Yogurt

18. Prevent tooth decay… Limit Sugary & Acidic Foods/Drinks
Limit juice, sugary snacks, chips and crackers
Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages,
like soda
Limit the Frequency/Time your child eats these snacks
Limit feeding bacteria…

19. Prevent tooth decay… First Dental Visit Positive Dental Experience
First dental visit by age 1
Every child needs a dental home

20. Prevent tooth decay… Fluoride Varnish Protects teeth from Tooth Decay
Fluoride Varnish Application
Fast & easy
Painless
Tastes good

21. Teething Gel Avoid using teething gel if under 2 years old -
- can reduce oxygen in the blood
stream resulting in death
Try using a cold, clean
washcloth, rubbing your finger,
a chilled teething ring, baby
toothbrush or finger toothbrush
Do not use Teething gel for a child under 2 years of age. Benzocaine/numbing get can reduce oxygen supply in blood stream and result in death.

22. Healthy Families… Pregnancy Parent/Caregiver/Siblings
Mother’s oral health affects baby’s health
Visit Dentist
Before & during pregnancy (safe)
Parent/Caregiver/Siblings
Maintain excellent OH
Healthy foods
Visit dentist
Chew sugar free Xylitol gum
Uncontrolled gum infection
Can lead to pre-term birth
Low birth-weight baby

23. Baby Teeth are Important!
LET’S REVIEW: (ask participants to name what they see on the slide)
BACTERIALTRANSMISSION
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