Tooth Cavities In Children Essay

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Tooth Cavities in Children

Tooth cavities in childrenTooth cavities are usually a result of dental caries occurring on the tooth surfaces. These are very obvious in deciduous teeth of children also who do not maintain a good oral hygiene. Dental cavities can also occur due to prolonged use of baby bottles also. Let us know few facts about the baby bottle decay.

The younger ones, in the age range of 2 to 3 years are very prone to a particular type of dental decay known as Baby bottle decay. The teeth mostly affected are the upper front teeth i.e. the upper incisors. The term baby bottle decay is self-explanatory. It means a dental decay due to over-use of milk with sugar fed through a baby bottle.

Milk with sugar is a perfect substrate for the oral microbial flora to grow. The
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If the baby bottle decay is not treated promptly, the deciduous teeth might require other treatments such as crowns and root canal, which is a bit rigorous for the child at such a young age when their mentality is not fully developed. One more consequence will be extraction of the baby teeth. Following the extraction, the baby will face difficulty in eating. Absence of teeth will also lead to speaking problems in the baby.

Here are few facts which a mother must know about the bottle feeding habit of the baby. The bottle feeding must not exceed more than 12 to 14 months. After each bottle feed, the baby's mouth must be thoroughly cleaned. At the night time, the bottle must contain water only.

But usually, it is noticed that babies sleep at night without being fed. If the baby is habituated to sucking the bottle nipple, then it is advisable to replace the bottle with a pacifier as directed by the dentist. The most important thing a parent must know is that the baby must be taken to the dentist at least once within the first year of its