Absolutely. Yes. No question about it. It is a big deal. You should incorporate healthy dental hygiene into your child’s morning and night time routines as soon as you see their first pearly white and start fostering those habits early to prevent tooth decay.
Why Is Baby Teeth Decay a Big Deal?
There are several reasons that explain the importance of baby teeth and why baby teeth decay (also referred to as bottle rot) is a big deal:
1. Baby teeth decay causes your baby pain. Tooth decay; whether it be in your teenager’s braces bracketed permanent teeth, in your own back molar, or in your baby/toddler’s baby teeth, is painful. It’s painful because the erosion of the protective enamel of the tooth can create holes in the tooth, and inside the tooth are nerves. If the decay is left untreated too long, abscesses in the tooth can form. Ouch!
2. Baby teeth have a biological clock, and serve several important functions until the permanent teeth come in. Baby teeth serve to help your baby/toddler learn how to chew solid foods! Imagine your two-year-old child being confined to only soft foods because they don’t have the chewing capacity necessary for all the yummy healthy crunchy, chewy foods. They also reserve separate spaces in the jaw until the time the permanent teeth come in. Premature loss of baby teeth can cause issues with jaw and teeth alignment later on.
3. Money. Tooth decay must be treated. Procedures that are performed to treat tooth decay vary by severity of the decay but range from partial fillings, to root canals or even tooth extraction.
Save your child the pain, save the spaces in your child’s jaw, and save your wallet the cost.
Why Is It Sometimes Called Bottle Rot?
The term “Bottle Rot” comes from the decay of your baby or toddler’s teeth from the extended exposure the teeth have to sugary drinks such as milk, formula, and juice in bottles (or sippy cups). The extended exposure happens when you allow your child to toddle around with a bottle drinking a bit here and there as they want throughout the day, or when you put your baby or toddler down for naptime or bedtime and a bottle in the bed with them.
If your child needs a bottle with them to go to sleep, we urge you to fill it only with water. If your child likes to have a bottle or sippy cup with them throughout the day, again, fill it only with water. Try to contain any drinks that aren’t water to be drank all at once, instead of slowly and periodically over the course of the day.
Another source of baby teeth decay can come from dipping pacifiers in honey, or something sugary. Pacifiers should be regularly cleaned and put in the mouth only when absent of any food or drink product.
Symptoms and Signs of Bottle Rot/Baby Teeth Decay
The first signs of baby teeth decay may be difficult for you to detect, unless you are watching for them. If you see little white spots along their gum line, it could be the beginning stages of baby teeth decay. If you determine your little one has pain or tooth sensitivity, those symptoms could also indicate baby teeth decay. More obvious signs of baby teeth decay mean the decay has progressed to a more significant degree and would include brown or black discoloring of the teeth, or bleeding gums. Fever and bad breath are other symptoms of a more significant degree of bottle rot.
How to Prevent Cavities or Baby Teeth Decay
1. Before your baby’s first tooth comes in, get them acquainted with the idea of dental hygiene by gently cleaning their gums after nursing, bottle feedings, and/or meal times. Use a wet soft washcloth to wipe gently with your finger.
2. Once the first tooth breaks through, use a soft baby tooth brush and a tiny bit of fluoride toothpaste to brush. Start the daily habit of brushing two times per day right away! Habits are formed by repetition.
3. Is your water fluoridated? If you don’t know, call your water utility company to ask. If it is not, talk to your pediatric dentist to determine if fluoride treatments or a fluoride varnish are appropriate. If you want more information about why fluoride is important for your child’s dental health, read our blog post “Why is Fluoride Important to My Child’s Dental Health” by following this link.
4. Start pulling away from bottles and sippy cups and teach your toddler to drink from a cup. Bottles and sippy cups allow the drinking liquid to congregate in and around the teeth. Drinking from cups also has the added advantage that they can’t be carried everywhere without spilling and are therefore more likely to be drank quickly and in one sitting.
5. Limit sweet, sticky foods. The sweets and stickies may be fun to eat, but are bad for their teeth. We wrote a blog post all about “Do-Eats and Don’t-Eats for Kids to Promote Healthy Teeth” that you can read by following this link. Healthy eating habits should be started early, but by the same token, it’s never too late to start!
6. Limit or eliminate sugary drinks. As referenced above, sweet and sugary drinks are a major force in baby tooth decay. If you don’t want to eliminate them entirely (or can’t because your little one is drinking formula) limit them to mealtimes and serve only a small amount. (The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends diluting the juice to half water and serving no more than 4oz per day).
To hear what our pediatric dentist Dr. Jason Horgesheimer has to say about fixing baby teeth, watch our video:
We say it every time we see you in our offices, and we’ll keep saying it. Prevention is important! Prevention is possible! Daily morning and night habits of brushing teeth and flossing at least once per day, are essential to your child’s dental well-being.
Any parent or guardian with kids, remembers the scary toddler phase where everything in reach is on their non-discerning mental list of things to chew on. The phase when they pick up everything, and to learn about it, they pop it into their mouth. Little toys, scraps of forgotten food that fell off the table at mealtime, a rubber band. Anything. We all breathe easier when that phase passes. And yet, as our kids get older, some of them continue chewing on things. You might catch them chewing on a pencil, or a pen. Biting nails is a common occurrence, and crunching ice also seems popular. Maybe the neckline or cuff of their shirtsleeve seems to be irresistible. That last one can really have parents wondering, “what causes a child to chew on clothes?”
Why Do They Chew on Stuff?
There are a variety of reasons behind kids chewing on non-food things, some reasons include:
Anxiety or stress – the act of chewing as a soothing activity goes back to the days of being a baby when sucking was an act to self soothe.
Sensory needs – chewing is relatively common as a soothing activity for children with sensory issues.
Concentration – the repetition of chewing can help focus and block outside distractions
Habit – chewing can be a habit born of boredom and convenience because there is always something available to chew on (pencils, clothing, hair, etc.)
Is Chewing Bad?
The act of chewing is not in and of itself a bad thing. Chewing stimulates the flow of saliva in your mouth. Saliva is the frontline defense in your mouth against tooth decay and plaque. According to the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA), “Saliva contains important elements such as bicarbonate, calcium, and phosphate. They not only neutralize plaque acids, but also help repair early tooth damage and decay.”
Problems come into play with chewing when the object being chewed is a non-food item. We then can become concerned for safety (choking hazards), concerned for what is socially acceptable (wet shirt sleeves or torn bloody fingernails), and concerned for the health of their teeth (cracked or chipped tooth or a loose dental filling).
Does Ice Count as a Non-Food Item?
Chewing ice is a common habit among kids, teens, and adults. And it is unequivocally, a bad habit. Ice is very hard and possesses the ability to crack or chip your teeth. Our composite fillings that we use on teeth that have cavities can have lifespans of up to ten years or more when properly cared for, but are vulnerable to damage caused from habitually chewing ice. It is painful to lose a filling and usually means an immediate trip to the dentist for replacement. Additionally, any brackets or retainer wires can be dislodged from teeth and damaged by chewing ice. We don’t want that for your kid any more than you do.
How Should You Respond When You See Your Child Chewing Non-Food Items or Ice?
Keep in mind that their chewing habit may not be a conscious one. Do they do it when they seem nervous or stressed? Do they have other sensory issues? Try to point out the habit without judgment and resist any inclination to shame them from doing it. Shaming the habit could lead them to hide it from you but continue the behavior or do it as a form of rebellion. If you believe it to be a sensory issue, consult with their pediatrician. If it is a soothing technique for stress or anxiety, consider talking to them about other coping techniques or consult their pediatrician or school guidance counselor. Provide your child with age appropriate information about the dangers of chewing on non-food items and ice.
Is Chewing Gum Bad?
Chewing gum can be good for your child’s dental hygiene after meals. There are, however, qualifiers. Firstly, if your child has braces or a retainer or TMJ disorder, then chewing gum is a bad idea. The gum will stick to the hardware and be not only a pain to get cleaned but can damage the wires or brackets. For kids with TMJ disorder, chewing gum can cause more frequent headaches and jaw pain. Secondly, the gum must be sugarless.
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), “Research shows that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay. That is because the act of chewing increases the flow of saliva in your mouth, which helps neutralize and wash away cavity-causing acids and bacteria. Over time, acids can wear away tooth enamel, creating ideal conditions for decay. Look for chewing gum with the ADA Seal to be sure it can help prevent cavities.”
For Your Kids Who Like to Chew
If you have a kid that likes to chew on things, consider serving up crunchy snacks. Carrot sticks, celery sticks, and crunchy apple slices are healthy snacks that can satisfy the chewing urge. Nuts are also a great snack. Read our blog post Do-Eats and Don’t-Eats for Kids to Promote Healthy Teeth for more ideas about healthy snacks, and to read about why some of those crunchy foods are also good for teeth.
But Wait!
Yes, we are saying chewing sugarless gum can help with dental hygiene but it in no way should be used as a substitute for brushing and flossing! Morning and nighttime routines of brushing for two minutes and flossing at least once daily are vital to your child having a healthy smile.
Pediatric patients are special. Unique. It is not the same job to perform dental treatments on people who are grown and able to tolerate sitting for long periods and sometimes undergoing uncomfortable dental work verses, pediatric dental patients.
Children, especially those who are very young or who have special needs, do not have that type of restraint that’s needed to easily sit still and tolerate dental work. From our sedation dentistry services to our TVs in the treatment rooms equipped with headphones and all, we go the extra mile to take the stress out of the dental experience for children.
All our dentists have earned special certification for working with only children. Come visit any of our locations to find the following types of pediatric dental services:
Routine Checkups
We believe that healthy lifelong dental habits start in childhood. In a routine checkup, we conduct examinations of the teeth and gums with gentleness and do cleaning when deemed necessary. We will discuss with you and your child how to properly brush and floss at home and explain it in an age-appropriate way to ensure success. We will make a recommendation on the frequency of checkups needed, tailored specific to each child.
Radiographs
Radiographs are commonly referred to as X-Rays. Radiographs of your children’s’ mouths are just as important as they are for adults. A growing child doesn’t only mean larger shirts, pants, and shoes. It also means a growing and changing mouth. Radiographs are a valuable tool in evaluating tooth health that may not be visible by our eyes alone. We will discuss whether there is a need to perform radiographs with you, based on your child’s unique needs.
Fluoride Varnishes
Fluoride is known to work in strengthening tooth enamel. Tooth enamel is assaulted daily by the sugars and acids in the foods and drinks that we consume. That is why we recommend using a fluoride toothpaste, drinking water that has fluoride, and fluoride varnishes. We can provide this dental treatment two to four times a year, depending on the needs of your child’s teeth. Go here for more information about fluoride varnishes and for a video of our Dr. Jason Horgesheimer as he discusses the benefits of this dental treatment.
Our teeth have natural grooves and valleys on their surfaces. These spots are attractive places for sugars and acids to hide from toothbrushes. Dental sealants are a common procedure we perform, and are prevention focused. A sealant is applied to cover these deep groves and valleys to prevent tooth decay in these hard-to-reach places on teeth. They will not be noticeable to anyone because the sealant matches the color of the tooth. The process of application of the sealants is also pain-free.
Mouthguards
Grinding teeth can be a normal part of the process as new molars are preparing to push through in your child’s mouth. If you have concerns let us know. We can assess for damage or wear and tear on the teeth. Typically, only in severe cases do we recommend a mouthguard.
Cavities happen despite our best efforts sometimes. When they do, we’re here for you. For small to medium sized cavities, we can repair the tooth, after removing the cavity, with a composite filling. For our composite fillings, we use a composite resins mixture. These resins are a combination of plastics and silica. Our composite fillings are discreet because they will match the color of the tooth.
When cavities or tooth decay have been left too long untreated, they may penetrate through the enamel and into the “pulp” of the tooth. This is the part of the tooth where the nerves are clustered. It is not uncommon for cavities in primary teeth to reach the pulp of the tooth, when this happens your child will report a tooth ache. It is important to get in to see us if your child reports a tooth ache, because when a cavity reaches the pulp, the tooth can die if left untreated too long.
The pulpotomy involves making a hole in the enamel of the tooth to remove the infected pulp. A protective cap is then applied to protect whatever healthy pulp remains.
Dental Crowns
In cases where your child’s tooth is more badly damaged than a filling or pulpotomy can repair, we may decide a dental crown is the best dental treatment. A dental crown is a cap that has been formed into the shape of the tooth and placed over the tooth to prevent any further decay or damage to it. We typically recommend a porcelain crown if a front tooth is involved to make it less noticeable. We will often recommend a stainless-steel crown if capping a molar.
Frenectomies are also called the tongue tie release or lip tie release. The maxillary frenectomy is where a piece of the tissue connecting the upper gums to the front teeth is removed. The Lingual frenectomy is where a piece of the tissue that connects the mouth floor to the underside of the tongue is removed. Frenectomies are often confused with frenotomies. Frenotomies are typically performed on newborn babies in cases of problems with latching for breastfeeding and involve a “snip” of the frenum. For more information on this topic, watch our video here.
An extraction may be warranted if a primary tooth cannot fall out as it naturally should due to curved or over long roots. Additionally, extractions may be performed if a tooth is so decayed that it risks spreading the decay to the surrounding teeth.
In-Office Sedation
We take your child’s comfort and dental health seriously and pride ourselves on our ability to provide your children with a positive dental experience. Sometimes, a dental treatment may require in office sedation. Anxiety, or your child’s age may be a factor in determining whether they can cooperate for the treatment required. We offer four different sedation options to meet your child’s needs.
A pediatric specialist must complete an additional two-to-three years of training on top of the thorough training already completed in dental school. Yearly continuing education courses are also a requirement to ensure our specialists are up to date on the techniques and processes involved with sedation dentistry.
You can place your confidence in us because of our experience. We have collectively performed over 25,000 in office sedations in all our time as pediatric dentists serving the Salt Lake City area. In fact, we span far and wide with different locations in Bountiful, Taylorsville, Herriman, and Stansbury Park. Call us to learn more or schedule an appointment at one of these offices.
The list of home remedies online for whitening your teeth can be found with a quick google search and may seem enticing, but beware! Some of these remedies are actually quite harmful to the enamel of your teeth. Avoid the following:
Avoid any remedy that involves use of baking soda, vinegars, or citrus fruits. Abrasion and purposeful scrubbing utilizing those acidic ingredients is harmful to the enamel of your teeth.
Avoid scrubs involving activated charcoal or a baking soda and hydrogen peroxide paste. These abrasive scrubs will wear down your tooth enamel.
Avoid swishing coconut oil (also called oil pulling). There remains zero scientific evidence to support this claim of teeth whitening.
Avoid using spices such as turmeric. As with coconut oil, there is no scientific evidence to support this remedy. Turmeric is actually a very bold orange/yellow color and lends its color readily to foods, so this approach seems particularly counterintuitive to teeth whitening.
The most assured way to address stains on your teeth is to schedule a dental cleaning with your dentist. Your dentist can assess the discoloration or stains and determine a course of action to rid your teeth of them.
Did You Know There are Different Types of Stains?
There are actually three different types of stains that occur on teeth.
The first category is called “Extrinsic”. These extrinsic stains are surface level stains. Stains that you can readily see, and generally can be taken care of by routine and regularly occurring dental cleanings.
The second category is called “Intrinsic”. Intrinsic stains are more difficult to address because they are stains that have pushed through the surface of the tooth and settled to accumulate within the enamel. Intrinsic stains can cause a look of dark teeth but can be addressed by your dentist, but may require more measures than a regular dental cleaning, such as professional bleaching.
The third and final category is called “Age-Related”. These stains occur over time and are a combination of the first two category stains combining over the years to wear on the enamel and allow the dentin to show through. Dentin is the tissue that lies beneath the enamel of the tooth and covers the dental pulp.
Why Do Teeth Stain or Become Discolored?
There are several things to cause staining or discoloration or spots on teeth. Some of the most common causes are:
Food and Drink Choices – Coffee, tea, and colored sodas are all drinks that can stain and discolor teeth. Blueberries, soy sauce, beets, and tomato sauces are a few of the offenders from the foods categories. These foods and drinks don’t have to be avoided however if good dental hygiene is routine and habitual.
Poor Oral Hygiene – Brushing and flossing is important for the health of your teeth and gums. Brushing teeth twice daily for two minutes and flossing once daily help to ensure that foods or drinks that cause plaque and bacterias don’t collect on the teeth and remain.
Tobacco – Tobacco products both cigarettes and chewing tobacco are major offenders for discoloring and staining teeth.
Illness or Disease – Some illnesses or disease can affect enamel development in baby teeth, even if the disease or illness was present in the mother while pregnant.
Medical Treatments – Medical treatments including chemotherapy, some antipsychotic medications, antihistamines, and some blood pressure medications can cause discoloration or staining of teeth.
Cavity vs Stain Explained
A cavity is when the buildup of plaque and bacteria on a tooth form a small hole or opening. Cavities are not always visible to the naked eye.
A stain is when a discoloration appears on the surface of the tooth. Stains do not automatically imply a cavity, but may be indications that you need to work on your dental hygiene routine and go to your dentist for a cleaning.
What You Can Do to Protect Teeth from Staining
If the foods and drinks on the stain offenders list are difficult to avoid, be sure you at the very least follow them up with drinking water and swishing it around in your mouth a bit before swallowing to wash the offenders away.
Use a straw when drinking dark colored liquids to limit the exposure your teeth face when consuming these potentially staining drinks.
Chewing sugarless gum can increase production of your saliva which is a formidable natural defender of your dental health.
Good oral hygiene is a key part of overall dental health, and logically in fighting staining or discoloration. You should be brushing your teeth twice daily for two minutes and flossing once. Consider brushing your teeth also after you’ve eaten or drank something that has the potential to cause stains.
Regular dental cleanings are also important in fighting stains. Dental cleanings serve not only the purpose of clearing away hard to reach plaque that builds up over time in spite of good dental health. These professional cleanings will have your teeth feeling cleaner than ever and are key in preventing intrinsic stains (the ones that seep below the surface of your teeth).
If you want to do something more at home in between dental cleanings, consult with your dentist. There are a range of whitening products in today’s market, but not all of them have the ADA seal of approval.
Follow this link to a comparison chart of ADA approved products that can be used at home for teeth whitening.
Follow this link to view a list of all ADA approved dental products for children.
If your child’s smile is showing discoloration or stains, give us a call right away. We can schedule a professional cleaning and talk with your child about the importance of dental hygiene and the role it plays in keeping teeth healthy and free of stains.
Losing a tooth is definitely one a rite of passage that all children must pass through. Maybe your child has started asking questions about it. If they’ve a cousin, or a schoolmate, or neighborhood friend that has a gap where there once was a tooth; the questions can be numerous, insistent, and maybe anxious. Do you have answers to those questions? It happened so long ago for you and is such a natural part of life that odds are good you haven’t spent much time thinking about it, nor about the why or the when or the details of it. We are here to help!
When do Kids Lose Their Baby Teeth?
“When am I going to lose a tooth?” This is the question most asked by kids who become aware that their teeth will fall out. Whether your kid asks with excitement because it means a sign they are growing “bigger” or whether your kid asks with some trepidation or anxiety, you need an answer.
The age kids lose teeth varies. The answer obviously won’t give them an exact day, but you can tell them that it usually starts to happen between the ages of six years old and seven years old. Typically, the first tooth or teeth to come lose and then fall out are also the central incisors, which are the middle front on either the upper jaw or lower jaw. The lateral incisors usually fall out soon after between the ages of seven and eight.
Losing baby teeth is a process that happens over an extended period of time, think in terms of years. Consider if you will first, that their baby teeth didn’t all erupt at the same time, and so too is it the same with their permanent teeth. Those front teeth top and bottom erupt between six months and one year old and are adorable in their gummy smiles for a good while before the rest come in. The canine teeth, also called cuspids, start to poke through around 16 months. Between one and two years old their first molars erupt and then their second molars follow between the ages of two and three years old.
After the central and lateral incisors fall out, so follow the cuspids, and both sets of molars. But keep in mind, this all happens over an extended period of time, baby molars can remain until as late as 12 years old.
Follow this link to view a chart of baby teeth eruption, provided by the American Dentists Association (ADA).
Why Do Kids Lose Their Baby Teeth?
The short answer you can give your kid is that they lose their baby teeth because they are growing bigger and therefore need bigger teeth. Baby teeth serve the vital functions of enabling your baby/toddler learn to eat, learn to speak, and to hold their jaw in position for the permanent teeth.
Why Don’t Baby Teeth Have Roots?
After your child’s first baby tooth falls out, you may find yourself wondering “do baby teeth have roots?” Yes, they do have roots. The baby teeth roots are very different from the roots of the permanent molars that are strong and long and hardy to hold those teeth in place for the rest of your life. Conversely, baby teeth that need only remain in position for years, are smaller, thinner, and generally shorter.
Those baby teeth roots serve as guides to the permanent teeth developing in the jaw. When those permanent teeth begin to develop in accordance with the body’s internal clock, the baby teeth root actually begin the process of being reabsorbed into the body.
How Do Baby Teeth Come Loose?
The roots for baby teeth reabsorb as the permanent teeth beneath them are forming. The roots of a tooth are what hold it into place. So it makes sense then, that as the root of the tooth disappears via reabsorption, the tooth will become loose and wiggly.
How Long Does It Take for a Loose Tooth to Fall Out?
When a tooth becomes loose, it can take a few weeks up to a month to actually fall out. Some of that depends on how much wiggling your child chooses to do with it. The more wiggling, typically the sooner it will fall loose.
Should You Pull a Loose Baby Tooth?
Generally, we prefer to let baby teeth fall out when they are good and ready. As long as the gum around the tooth isn’t swollen and red, leave it alone. If the gum around the tooth is swollen and red, call us.
Does Dental Hygiene Change with a Loose Tooth?
Only that you or your child may be inclined to take extra care in being gentle when brushing that particular area. Dental hygiene continues to be important when your child has a loose tooth. It is important to brush and clean the tooth and the gum around it, two times a day for two minutes, and continue to floss once a day. We want the gums to be healthy when the loose tooth falls out, because it will have minimal bleeding, and having healthy gums for when the permanent tooth erupts is important.
The very first tooth to fall out is a rite of passage every single child experiences, and can be an interesting and fun couple of weeks to see the progression from simply feeling loose, to being wiggly, to being unreliable for chewing, and then finally to falling out. It’s such a clear marker to your kids that they are in fact growing bigger. Try to let them have fun with the wiggling, and be careful whatever promises you make even off-handedly about the tooth fairy!
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