Consistent maintenance of oral health, and by extension relatively perfect teeth at the age of 18, can be compared to achieving a professional degree from a recognized university. In other words, one is more likely than others to have perfect teeth for life just as the professional education will provide that person for life with an aspect of social accomplishment. Parents have the power to give their children a lifetime of cavity-free teeth, but there are some critical times to take action. However, the window of opportunity is small.
Parents must be aware of the sequence and timing when teeth erupt and will want to allow sufficient time to change the quality of mouth bacteria before new teeth come into the mouth during childhood and adolescence. In a research project, a significant benefit for children was seen when mothers ate a few grams of xylitol each day, starting before birth of her child. Researchers found that children had healthier teeth and beneficial effects continued for years, even after the preventative program stopped. If a new mother will eat some xylitol each day during the first year of her baby’s life, she will have the opportunity to improve her baby’s dental health by up to 80% compared with control groups.
Yet, a few months ago, the wife of a friend of mine was about to have a baby, and I described the details of this study to him. I ordered xylitol-containing chewing gum from the same company that made chewing gum for this research project twenty-five years previously. I gave some of the gum to the expectant couples in the hopes that they would start a preventative programme. The young man talked with the mother, who in turn talked with her obstetrician/gynecologist. The doctor told them he had never heard of this method of dental disease prevention and advised her not to eat the product.
Studies show that the greatest reduction in harmful bacteria comes from eating products sweetened with 100 percent xylitol. Parents who chew xylitol gum or eat xylitol mints each day from the time the baby is born will gradually clean way unhealthy bacteria from their mouths before the eruption of the baby’s first tooth. With a little effort, parents can give their baby a great start to dental health.
Friendly germs and cavity germs fight to live on your child’s tooth, and the first one on the tooth wins! If friendly germs are first to reach a new tooth, they will take over, and the child’s chance of future cavities can be reduced. For added protection and to ensure your baby’s mouth is healthy before teeth begin to erupt, wipe his or her gums with a 100 percent xylitol wipe such as Spiffies, or let your baby enjoy xylitol-sweetened water between feedings.
Baby teeth first erupt at around six or seven months of age and continue, a few at a time, until the child is around two years old. Some of the last baby teeth to emerge are baby molars that have wrinkled biting surfaces perfect for chewing and grinding food. There are natural pits and crevices in the biting surfaces where bacteria can quickly become entrenched. If harmful bacteria aggressively populate these areas, any sugar in the diet will feed them. With energy from the sugar, the bacteria reproduce and form acids that cause tooth damage in the depths of the pits and crevices.
The enamel of new molars takes almost a year to become strong enough to resist attacks. Pediatric dentists often need to fill cavities in the biting surfaces of new molars before a child’s third birthday, before the teeth have even had time to fully mature and harden. Whether a mother is breast-feeding, using formula, or feeding her child solid food, she should worry about the kind of bacteria in these molar crevices and also try to control the acidity and sugar content of drinks and foods, especially when her child has a dry mouth while napping or sleeping.
Because proper cleaning of your baby’s teeth is often difficult, make sure your baby is protected at all times by encouraging the growth of healthy bacteria in the mouth both before and during the time that molars erupt. For babies, toothpaste is not necessary. In fact, many children’s toothpastes are bad for teeth, because they contain sugar or sorbitol. Use of a soft toothbrush dipped in a solution made from an individual packet of granular xylitol dissolved in warm water or a xylitol-containing toothpaste or spread a xylitol gel on the teeth and gums. Baby wipes containing xylitol can also be useful.
The art of breast-feeding can be difficult, and the last thing a new mother needs to hear are unfounded concerns that she may be inducing cavities in her baby’s teeth. A 2007 – 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey provided data that were used by the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry to evaluate more than 1,500 children between the ages of two and five. They found that neither breast-feeding nor its duration is associated with increased risk of early tooth decay in children.