Milk Teeth - Taking Good Care of a Child's First Teeth

Milk Teeth - Taking Good Care of a Child's First Teeth
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Nathaly_Dedeyan] Nathaly Dedeyan

Despite the fact that milk teeth are lost naturally as a child grows, it is important to ensure that these teeth are correctly maintained. The teeth have a number of important functions, such as helping in correct speech formation. A young child is also increasingly aware of their appearance to others and the teeth are an important aspect of this appearance. Gaps or other discrepancies in the teeth can lead to a child feeling self conscious and unhappy. A good dentist will frequently be able to correct problems in a child's dental alignment and in many cases this is better and more easily done when the child is young. Never be afraid to ask for advice from your dentist - the profession has developed a lot over recent years and the number of corrective techniques has increased dramatically in that time.

Here is a list of some of the actions you can take to ensure that your child's teeth are kept in good condition;

1. Make sure that the child brushes their teeth twice a day. Food particles which remain in the mouth can cause the development of harmful acid which in turn can cause tooth decay.

2. Remind your child to brush their teeth before bed. This helps to prevent the build up of bacteria in the mouth as the child sleeps.

3. Do not ever let your child go to bed with a bottle of fruit juice or other acidic drink. The acid from such drinks remains on the teeth and attacks the enamel over an extended period as the child sleeps.

4. Eating sweets between meals increases the risk of dental caries. A young child can be easily trained in good habits just as easily as poor habits and most children follow an adults example. If you show them that a piece of fruit can be enjoyed after a meal rather than sugary sweets then they will quickly get into a habit which is healthy and may last a lifetime.

5. Most children drink far too much juice, particularly the sweetened variety which is marketed as "healthy". Avoid this since this kind of drink is high in sugar and this will cause rapid tooth decay if accompanied by poor dental hygiene.

Nathaly Dedeyan is co-owner of [http://findnhsdentist.com]Find NHS Dentist
a free online resource to help dental patients locate NHS
Dentists in their area.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Milk-Teeth---Taking-Good-Care-of-a-Childs-First-Teeth&id=4890393] Milk Teeth - Taking Good Care of a Child's First Teeth