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According to Gerald Ferretti, DDS, MS, division chief of the Irving and Jeanne Tapper Dental Center at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, children need to get their teeth checked on a regular basis—even babies. Read on to learn how you can preserve your child’s dental health.

Early childhood decay is the number one chronic disease of childhood. It is five times more common than asthma and twenty times more common than diabetes, but is preventable. Most parents are very aware of the need for routine pediatrician visits. Less recognized is the importance of regular dental care visits. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that dental visits begin with the appearance of the first tooth. Similar to the Medical Home, the Dental Home is one in which oral health care is delivered in a comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated, and family-centered way by a licensed dentist. The licensed dentist applies the AAPD best practice guidelines and principals for the proper delivery of oral health care for children with a concentration on infants/ age one patients. Parents can avoid their children contracting early childhood decay that can result in pain, failure to thrive, motivation to learn, and in many cases, extensive and costly dental procedures.

Baby teeth are eventually replaced by permanent adult teeth. It is important that they are lost naturally since they serve several critical functions, including:

• Fostering good nutrition by permitting proper chewing
• Speech development
• Helping permanent teeth by saving space for them
• Creating self esteem with a healthy smile helps children feel good about how they look to others.

The AAPD recommends that parents adopt the following practices to help prevent tooth decay in young children:

• Year one dental visit- dental visits should begin around six months but no later than one year, or with the appearance of the child’s first tooth. The earlier the dental visit, the better the chance for preventing dental problems. Children with healthy teeth chew food easily, learn to speak clearly, and smile with confidence.
• Fluoride use- young children require fluoride to help developing teeth grow strong and it helps prevent tooth decay in older children when used on a regular basis. Children who primarily drink bottled water may not be getting the fluoride they need. If your child routinely drinks bottled water, make sure you choose a product that contains fluoride. Talk to your pediatric dentist about your child’s fluoride needs.
• Healthy eating habits- parents should ensure that children are eating a balanced diet and limit frequency of snacking which can increase the child’s risk of developing early childhood decay. In order to limit decay, the parent should limit the frequency and amount of snacking throughout the day.

In addition to regular dental visits, there are many things a parent can do to help their child prevent early childhood decay.

• Brush your child’s gums with a cloth or baby tooth brush and water even before the first tooth appears
• Talk to your pediatric dentist about your child’s fluoride needs. Infants require fluoride to help developing teeth grow strong, and children who primarily drink bottled water may not be getting the fluoride they need.
• If you must put your child to sleep with a bottle, use nothing but water- other beverages can damage teeth leading to early childhood decay.
• Never dip a pacifier into honey or anything sweet before giving it to a baby.
• Best time to brush your infants teeth are after breakfast and before bed.
• Limit frequency of snacking, especially use of the sippy cup which can increase the child’s risk of developing cavities.
• Take good care of your own teeth. Studies show that babies and small children can catch cavity-causing bacteria from their parents.

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