Your toddler’s teeth

Stop worrying so much about child obesity, asthma and diabetes – you may not believe it but tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease, and it’s thought that one child in four has at least one cavity.

It’s often down to parents not realizing how important baby teeth are. Although they eventually fall out they play a vital role in enabling your child to eat properly and form the sounds of new words she’s learning. If they’re allowed to decay the discomfort can affect your child’s mood and sleep; and if they fall out early her permanent teeth can grow in crooked.

Take these steps to keep your child’s teeth healthy and where they belong…

Choose tooth-friendly food and drink

This means avoiding sugary foods (and keep in mind it’s not just candy but all refined sugars) that react with the bacteria in your child’s mouth and form acid that attacks tooth enamel. Don’t let your toddler chain-drink bottles or sippy cups of juice as it bathes her teeth in sugar your toddler juice in a bottle or sippy cup. If she has eaten or drunk something sweet and sugary, ensure she drinks some water, to rinse her teeth, or eats a piece of cheese, as this will neutralize acid in the mouth.

Feed her teeth

Make sure your child’s diet is rich in the vitamins and minerals that will boost tooth strength. Her teeth crave calcium, which you’ll find in low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese. It’s also present in canned fish, such as salmon or sardines but it’s important she eats the soft bones (mash them up and she won’t even know they’re there). She needs vitamin D to help her body absorb calcium from her food – it’s present in milk, sardines and eggs. There is also evidence that young children who don’t get the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day are more likely to develop tooth decay.

Protect them

Fluoride helps to strengthen tooth enamel and is often added to piped water – check with your county health department. Bottled and well water don’t usually contain fluoride, so if these are what your child mainly drinks, ask your dentist about fluoride supplements.

Clean them thoroughly

Start a tooth cleaning routine even before your baby’s first tooth cuts through, using a moistened gauze pad to gently rub her gums. Upgrade to a soft baby toothbrush once she gets her first tooth and use a tiny dab of children’s low-fluoride toothpaste (adult toothpaste contains too much fluoride and can stain teeth if swallowed, which is likely in young children who can’t spit properly). Brush with a gentle circular motion to avoid damaging her teeth and gums.

Your independent toddler will want to brush her own teeth and that’s fine – it’s how she learns to do it, after all. But be sure to give them a onceover yourself after she’s finished, to ensure they’re really clean. Once she has several teeth, use kid flossers to clean between them.

Visit the dentist

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children see a dentist by their first birthday, so register your baby with a pediatric dentist or your family dentist as soon as her first teeth cut through her gums.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 11/09/2008