Throughout childhood, it is essential to provide a balanced diet that guards against decay. Restricting intake of foods and drinks with high sugar content is crucial because deciduous teeth have a softer enamel and are especially susceptible to cavities.
Your baby's bedtime bottles should never be filled with anything but water - and if possible, water should be given following juice or milk to rinse acids or sugars from the mouth.
Thumb sucking is a common habit and is safe for very young infants. However, it should not continue once deciduous teeth have erupted because it can cause malocclusion. The same is true for pacifier use.
Special Concerns: Teething may cause your child to cry (for no obvious reason), and may be associated with other symptoms such as fever, congestion and irritability. Teething can also occur at the same time as a cold or other illness. Always check with your pediatrician if you are unsure about your baby's condition.
Watch for gum redness or swelling, and ask your dentist for more information about teething solutions, teething toys or other ways to relieve your baby's discomfort.

Ages 6 Months and Up (Beginning Brushing and Flossing)

Start brushing as soon as your baby's first tooth comes in. Use the Oral-B® 5 or 20 (which are small, soft children's toothbrushes) and be very gentle. Brush at least twice a day: after meals, and especially before bed. Interest your child in brushing from a young age, and make learning to brush easy and fun by teaching it one step at a time: first, just playing with a dry toothbrush in the mouth; then, practicing proper brushing technique; lastly, brushing with toothpaste. Provide Oral-B Toothpaste, which has a child-pleasing flavor (and explain that the toothpaste should not be swallowed). Until your child is about nine years old, you may need to assist with his or her brushing.
As soon as permanent teeth start to erupt, at about five or six, begin flossing your child's teeth with regular Oral-B Dental Floss.

Ages 1 to 2 Years and Up (Visiting the Dentist)

Bring your child with you to your dental hygiene appointments, so that he or she will view the dentist office as a comfortable, interesting place. Begin your child's semi-annual dental check-ups at an early age to build confidence in brushing ability and to give your dentist an opportunity to spot potential problems. Depending on the condition of your child's teeth, in-office fluoride treatments should begin between the ages of three and six. Fluoride foam used at your dentist's office (such as Oral-B MINUTE-FOAM) is a highly concentrated topical formula that protects already erupted teeth from decay. A decay-preventing fluoride also occurs in some toothpastes and mouthrinses, in much smaller amounts. Systemic fluoride, which is found in fluoridated tap water and fluoride tablets or drops, helps strengthen developing teeth.
Ages 5 Years Through Adolescence (Theraputic and Preventive Measures)

Each child's oral care situation requires individual attention. Preventive or therapeutic treatments, or orthodontics, may be recommended when gums are showing early signs of disease or when teeth are especially susceptible to decay, overcrowding or misalignment. To keep your child's teeth and gums healthy, your dentist may suggest:
 

	Fissure sealing - This preventive process involves coating the thin-enameled fissures in biting surfaces of molars and premolars to seal out food, bacteria and plaque.
	Orthodontics - Orthodontic procedures correct overcrowding and malocclusion. These promote proper teeth alignment and functioning, easier oral care, and helps prevent more serious future problems.
	Use of mouthguards - After decay and gum disease, accidental injury to teeth is the most common dental problem in children and adolescents. Mouthguards should be worn during all highly active or contact sports. Prefabricated mouthguards are available at sporting goods stores, but the most effective mouthguard is custom-made by your dentist.

Special Concerns: Emergency Measures for Loss of a Permanent Tooth
It is important to teach these instructions to your child, in case you are not present during an accident or sporting injury which causes loss of a permanent tooth.
Do not let the detached tooth dry out. Pick it up by the chewing surface and gently rinse it (without rubbing). Then place it in milk, or in a cloth moistened with milk or water. Alternatively, have the tooth held in the child's cheek pouch.
Call your dentist's office immediately and arrange for an emergency visit. If the tooth is replaced in the socket within 30 minutes of loss, there is a 90 percent chance of reattachment.

Why Children Shouldn't Share...Toothbrushes

In order to protect your children from the spreading of dangerous diseases, the U.S. Center for Disease Control recommends that parents carefully oversee their children's toothbrush habits. In the course of doing its job, a toothbrush comes into contact with saliva and blood - fluids that can spread dangerous diseases like Hepatitis B or HIV, the precursor to AIDS. So, as you protect your children from cavities, you also need to make sure that you don't expose them to something even worse.

To do that, the Center for Disease Control recommends that you:

	Make sure that each child has his or her own clearly labeled toothbrush.
	Do not allow children to share toothbrushes.
	Store toothbrushes so that they cannot touch each other and spread dangerous germs to one another.
	Throw away and replace a toothbrush which has been used to brush teeth in an infected person's mouth.
	Throw away and replace both toothbrushes when one has come into contact with another which has been in an infected person's mouth.
	Do not attempt to "disinfect" toothbrushes; in trying to make the toothbrush safe to use again, you may instead make it more dangerous.

Don't Rub Your Kids the Wrong Way: Flossing for Children

The first known research on the subject of friction was conducted by Leonardo da Vinci back in the 15th century. It took about 300 years for subsequent researchers to realize that there are two basic explanations for friction; one is adhesion, the other roughness. That brings us forward to the 1780's. For almost 200 years more, people focused their research on interlocking or rough surfaces as the major source of friction, but they were scratching on the wrong door
It was sometime in the 1940's when informed opinion slid, and the adhesion theory caught on. It did a better job of explaining why friction is independent of surface roughness, since as more and more researchers noticed, even smooth surfaces stick.

These concerns are the study of tribology. Research continues to evolve as our demands and our materials become more sophisticated. It is one thing to keep a wheel turning on a wooden axle and quite another to keep metal moving in sub zero space. However, it is the fundamental principle of friction and adhesion that brings us to the subject of flossing in general, and this month, flossing for children in particular.

It doesn't have to be a grating experience.

The first point to remember is that plaque will adhere to just about anything, and friction with dental floss is the surest way to remove just about all of it. Unfortunately, kids just don't have the dexterity to floss for themselves. Mom or Dad will have to do it for them. The process should be introduced at about the age of five or six, when the first permanent teeth arrive. The reasons for this timing are simple.

It may be asking a little too much of a much younger child to sit still for the process. For the smaller folks, brushing should be adequate - unless you notice food getting stuck between their teeth.

Permanent teeth are larger and closer together than baby teeth, and with care they're going to be around for a good long time. The sooner you start teaching children proper good oral care habits, the more likely they will be carried into adulthood.

The actual process is very similar to the steps you take to floss your own teeth; getting comfortable with flossing for yourself, will go a long way in your ability to help your child. Here are some tips that may help.

When you floss for a child, position yourself so that you can see their teeth clearly. You might find it easier to stand behind them, having them tip their head back. In this position, flossing actions will be similar to those you would use for yourself. If possible, sit them in front of a mirror so that they can watch. It's a very quick way for them to learn and understand the process.

At first, you should concentrate on flossing the most important areas around and between the permanent teeth. As the child becomes more comfortable with the process, and you become better at it, continue on to do all of their teeth.

Use about 18 inches of floss, wrapping the ends around the middle fingers of each hand. Gently guide the floss between two teeth with your thumbs. Carefully use a back and forth, sliding motion to clean the surface between each tooth and along the gum line. Take extra care to avoid "snapping" the floss against delicate gum tissue.

Shape a fresh piece of floss into a "C", so that it loops snugly around the back of a tooth, gently guiding it under the gumline. Move the floss up and down to scrape away any plaque buildup. Follow the same process for the front of each tooth by reversing the loop of the "C" shape.

There you have it. Friction at work.

If there is any gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) you might see a little bleeding at first. Over time, as their gums get healthier, the bleeding will stop. But if bleeding persists, it's time to see your dentist or hygienist.

As children get older, say 9 or 10, they should have the dexterity and coordination to do the flossing on their own teeth.

Applied tribology. By the way, the prefix tribo means friction and is from the French, with roots in ancient Greek. In fact a tribon is a garment made of coarse cloth worn by Spartan men. They wore it year round, and it was their only garment. No wonder they were so fierce.

Why Braces?

 

Braces do a lot more than improve your child's smile. They play an active role in correcting crowded and misaligned teeth. This is important because malocclusion (That's an abnormal bite, not the familiar name of Malcom O'Clusion the folk singer) may cause other problems such as impaired plaque removal around misaligned teeth which can lead to gum inflammation and cavities.

Cleaning with Braces

Careful cleaning is important when your child is wearing braces because plaque and bacteria are easily trapped inside and around them. Here's how:

Prepare to Brush
Take off elastics (rubber bands) and any other removable parts of the appliance.

Brushing Teeth
Clean each tooth individually. First, place the brush at a 45° angle at the point where the tooth and gum meet, then apply gentle pressure as the brush is moved in a circular motion. Do this for about 10 seconds. Use the same brushing motion on all inner and outer tooth surfaces, tilting the brush as needed to better reach the insides of smaller front teeth.

Cleaning Braces
Use the brush at a 45° angle to clean around the wires and pins of the braces. Brush from the top of each wire and then from the bottom. (Take time to ensure that all plaque and debris are removed, working all the way around upper and lower teeth.)

Rinse and Check
Rinse thoroughly with water or mouth rinse, examining the teeth and braces in a mirror. The should sparkle, shine and feel clean.

The whole process could take half an hour. And it should be done twice a day. If there is a teenager in the world who would do this, they should be advised, as they themselves would say, to "Get a Life". But you get the idea.

Sealants are applied to the biting surface of permanent molars and premolars. Sealants are a clear plastic film that hardens onto the tooth surface, providing a physical barrier between the tooth and potential damage from bacterial plaque. Ideally, sealants should be applied to all permanent molars and premolars as soon as the teeth appear.

Sugar can have the most adverse affect on your child's teeth of all the foods they may eat. It is especially important to note when and how often they eat it. For example, many parents put their child down for a nap with a nursing bottle filled with juice or a fruit drink. The child nestles in and eventually falls asleep. The result? For long periods of time the child's teeth are exposed to sugar. Sugar which turns into acids that attack the tooth surfaces. If this becomes part of the child's daily routine, decay may develop. In some cases when teeth are constantly exposed to a sugar based drink, the front teeth completely decay. In fact, this condition happens often enough to have a name of its own-nursing bottle caries. (Caries is the Latin word for "decay".)
Correcting this problem is simple. Limit sugar intake to once or twice a day, and be sure the child's teeth are brushed immediately afterward.
A good practice to carry into adult life, too.

Kids haven't wanted to jump over the moon since Neil Armstrong showed them how to jump onto it, but for as long as they have been around they have taken chances that make parents grow gray young; it isn't going to change. In-line hockey, Little League, trail bikes, Saturday Soccer, surf boarding, snow-mobiling, skate boards, gymnastics. The ways that kids can take chances these days goes on, and on, and on. Put it another way, the ways that kids can get hurt these days goes on, and on, and on.

We do what we can with helmets, knee pads and gloves, but there is one other little device that can keep your kid smiling for a long, long time. An athletic mouth protector.

An athletic mouth protector is a fancy name for a mouth guard. The trick is to get one that fits comfortably - one your child will use. A mouth guard can't do much good when it's left in the gym locker, so look for one that allows your child to speak easily and doesn't feel like a Tootsie Roll® jammed behind the upper lip.

Made of soft plastic, mouth guards are built to conform to the shape of the upper teeth and can be found in many sports equipment stores. Generally they are pre-formed. Some are "boil-to-fit". They are softened in warm water, then inserted into the mouth. There, they quickly harden and take the shape of the child's teeth and gums. Comfort and effectiveness can vary by brand, so rather than doing a trial and error on your own you might ask your dentist for advice. For superior performance, your dentist can make a guard specifically shaped to fit your child's mouth. By superior performance, we mean that it will fit better and therefore be more likely to be used.
Mouth guards should be used whenever your child is involved in a sport that has a risk of falls, head contact with other players or equipment. Sounds like football and hockey doesn't it? Yes, you're right, but nearly half of sports related mouth injuries occur when kids are playing baseball, basketball, and soccer.
A mouth guard that fits well will not only protect your child's teeth, but lips, cheeks and tongue as well; it also reduces harm from head and neck injuries like a concussion or a jaw fracture.
Try as we may, bad things occasionally can happen, and if a permanent tooth does get knocked out it can be saved if you act quickly. If a tooth is replaced within thirty minutes, there is an excellent chance that it may be saved.
Here's what needs to be done:

	If a permanent tooth is knocked out, pick it up carefully by the crown - that's the part of the tooth that is normally exposed above the gum. Do not handle it by the delicate roots (the part that is hidden by the gums).
	If the tooth is dirty, rinse it gently in running water, but only for a second. Do not scrub it, just a quick rinse to clean it off.
	Here's the gutsy part. If you can figure out the right way to place it, and your child will let you do it, replace the tooth in the empty socket.
	Place the tooth in milk or wrap it in some plastic cling wrap. A tightly sealed sandwich bag will work too, and get to your dental professional as soon as possible. Yes, this is an emergency.
	Remember: If the tooth is replaced within thirty minutes, there is an excellent chance that it may be saved.
	If a tooth is broken or chipped, save the piece(s). Sometimes fragments can be bonded back on to the injured tooth. Even though there may be no pain, see your dental professional as soon as possible.
	If a baby tooth is knocked out completely, do not put it back, but do see your dentist immediately. Your child's circumstances will be evaluated, and you will receive the appropriate advice.

The conclusion, of course, is kids will be kids. So if your young one is a budding hockey goalie, take reasonable precautions by seeing your dentist first. Then show your future superstar the way to the ice. I can do that too.