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By JANE E. BRODYFEB.
1981 this is a digital version of an article from The Times Print Archive, before it starts online in 1996.
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By the age of 2, half of the children in the country had more than one tooth decay, and 80% had several teeth decay at the age of 6.
Only 2% schools
Older children can avoid any tooth decay. before the age of 20, Americans have an average of 14 teeth, teeth or missing teeth.
However, to the surprise of many parents, almost all tooth decay can be prevented.
With proper care, the teeth can-and should -
For a lifetime, the unpleasant hours that children have to spend on dentist chairs can be greatly reduced.
Even dental correction can be avoided through preventive measures.
Due to numerous misconceptions about teeth and fatalistic attitudes, coupled with the lack of attention given by some parents to dental care for children, this possibility has failed to become a reality.
In addition, many parents are not aware of the latest developments in protecting children's teeth from corrosion and dislocation.
With regard to starting to pay attention to the appropriate time of dental care, the importance of baby teeth, the benefits of fluoride, the role of genetics, there are many misconceptions about the effects of diet and diet patterns, and the effects of various oral habits, like thumb sucking.
Advertising for prenatal care.
By the third month of pregnancy, the baby's teeth have begun to form under the gums of the fetus.
In fact, the relationship between inheritance and decay resistance is much smaller compared to the environment. Dr. Stephen J.
Moss, dean of Pedodontics College, United States (
Dental for children)
The author of your child's teeth ,(
Howton Mifflin, $3. 95)
It is pointed out that the ability of teeth to resist decay depends to a large extent on their mineral reserves at the time of formation.
When a mother is infected or has a fever during pregnancy, it can lead to poor mineralization.
In this case, it is more important to give special care to the baby's teeth after birth.
If the baby is sick in the first year of life, so is the case.
Good nutrition during pregnancy is obviously important, but unless the mother is seriously undernourished, her unborn baby will get all the minerals needed to form a healthy tooth from the blood.
Even if the mother's diet lacks calcium and phosphorus, some are removed from the mother's bones to meet the needs of the baby.
Fluorine becomes part of the mineral structure of the teeth, making the teeth not easy to rot.
However, very little fluorine reaches the fetus through the placenta.
The evidence on this is contradictory, but some studies suggest that prenatal fluoride supplements may help protect the baby's teeth. Infancy.
A baby's tooth has been fully formed at birth, and permanent teeth begin to form immediately after birth.
They are best protected by fluoride obtained from drinking water, infant formula or liquid dietary supplements (
Sales by prescription).
There is very little fluorine in breast milk, so for babies who feed only breast milk, additional sources of fluorine may be wise.
A bottle of fluoride per day may be the best source.
If you do not have fluoride in your water, consult your pediatrician and dentist for information on dietary supplements for fluoride;
Some experts suggest that waiting until the child is 6 months old before adding fluoride to the child to prevent excessive administration from causing white spots in the child's teeth.
But don't wait until your baby has a bite of teeth before you consider keeping your teeth clean.
Long before the first tooth passed, it began to remove rotten deposits.
Causing bacteria from the baby's mouth.
This may help prevent infection of new teeth. Dr.
Moss recommends using a gauze pad between the thumb and the index finger to vigorously wipe the gum pad (
Ridge where teeth will pass)twice a day.
The same cleaning procedure can be used to protect the baby's first tooth.
When the baby catches solid food (
Even before the teeth appear), Dr.
Moss suggested giving them something to chew on, like apple slices, pear slices, or toast.
Good chewing habits help prevent tooth decay and dislocation.
Advertising may be the most common cause of severe decay of teeth, a habit that parents have full control over: sleeping a bottle of milk or juice for a baby. The result -
The upper teeth generally rot-
Usually does not appear until the child is 3 or 4 years old.
It is caused by the collection of sugar.
Liquid around the teeth;
Then the bacteria use these sugar to rot. causing acids.
If the baby drinks a bottle before going to bed, it should contain ordinary water.
Otherwise, feed the baby before going to bed and take the bottle away. The baby teeth.
Babies, or primary teeth, usually start to cross the gums in about 7 months.
By 18 months, most babies have about 12 teeth, and by 2 or 3, 20 should be worn.
If a child has not yet gone to the dentist, it is time to go to the dentist.
The role of the Primary tooth is not just to let the child chew the food.
They paved the way for the next permanent tooth.
An unrepaired tooth decay in a main tooth may spread into the permanent tooth that will replace it.
It also causes the teeth to move too close, thus reducing the available space for permanent teeth.
Immature tooth loss can also lead to incorrect positioning of permanent teeth and improper development of Chin and facial bones.
Fluoride, diet and oral hygiene are the main factors affecting the health of primary school students (
And permanent)teeth.
Although children should start using toothbrushes as early as possible to build habits, parents should take responsibility for daily tooth cleaning until the child is around 8 years old.
Young children often lack the flexibility to do a thorough job on their own.
Put the child's head on your lap and you can clean all the teeth, cheeks --Side and tongueside.
Use a soft brush and a small amount of fluoride toothpaste on your child's teeth twice a day
After breakfast and before bed.
After Molars teeth come in, it is recommended to use dental floss every day to clean up the debris between them.
Electric toothbrush is OK, can help children do their own brushing work.
The benefits of fluorine are additives.
Except for fluoride in drinking water (
It can reduce the attenuation by twice. thirds)
Or as a dietary supplement, brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste. Twice a year (
If the child is particularly prone to decay, or more often)
The dentist can apply fluoride gel.
The use of fluoride-containing mouthwash at home can provide additional benefits.
Plastic sealant can be applied to the bite surface of the permanent molars teeth to protect them from decay caused by the deposition of food in cracks.
Nowadays, more and more dentists are using closed agents, which can reduce the decay of coated teeth. thirds.
Advertising dental specialists are doing X-on how often a child's teeth should be-rayed.
Pedodontists now recommend an X-
Ray examination at the first visit, repeat X-
Ray examination is performed only if the dentist thinks there is something to look.
As we all know, sugar is not good for teeth because it will rot.
Bacteria use the acid it produces to eat the enamel.
What everyone does not know is that what affects the teeth is the frequency and consistency of eating sweets, not the total amount of sugar consumed.
Studies have shown that sweets eaten as part of the meal contribute very little to tooth decay.
But sweet snacks, especially sticky foods like caramel, dried fruit, biscuits and pastries, have caused serious damage to the teeth.
Honey attached to the teeth is worse for them than refined sugar.
According to recent research, perhaps because they don't stay in their mouths for too long, sweet drinks don't seem to be a problem unless, like colas, they contain acid and eat it several times a day.
Sucking a lemon can also destroy the enamel variety that protects your teeth.
A child eager for candy may occasionally get a bar of chocolate as it has been proven to have some rot --
Suppression performance.
The same is true of cheddar cheese, which may be more nutritious than chocolate.
Study on sugar
Cereal for breakfast (
Although they are hardly the best from a nutritional point of view)
Indicates that if they eat together with milk as part of a meal, they do not cause more rot than unsweetened grains.
No matter what food you eat, it's best to brush-
Or at least rinse with water-
After every meal and snack. ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Next week: Orthodontics-
Prevention and treatment.
A version of this article was printed on page C00010 of the National edition on February 18, 1981 with the title: personal health;
Tooth decay in children can be prevented.