Tickling The Pearlies

Establishing good oral hygiene habits early on can be the key to a lifetime of healthy smiles.

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

R

otted enamel, ab-
scessed gums and ab-
stracted teeth are what
you might expect to
see in mouths of older people or
those who live in Third World
countries.
Dr. Arnold Golnick, a pediatric
dentist, sees them in his Farming-
ton Hills office.
"We see kids with bombed-out
mouths who have to have their
front teeth removed because of
abscesses," he said. "People say
you don't have to worry about
those teeth because they fall out.
That is just a bubeh meiseh."
Local pediatric dentists say up

THE AP PLETREE

Preventing
Cavities

22

One way parents can help instill
healthy oral hygiene habits is to avoid
decay -- often caused by sugary
snacks — in the first place.
The following suggestions are
adapted from a list published by the
nutritionists in the Health Depart-
ments of Central Region Ontario:

to 85 percent of their clients have
less than desirable habits that po-
tentially can lead to dental prob-
lems. Letting an infant fall asleep
at the bottle or breast, giving a
child sugary snacks that stick to
the teeth, not teaching daily oral
hygienic practices all can lead to
tooth and gum damage.
But all of this can be avoided.
"The earlier you start teaching
good oral hygiene, the better for
setting up good habits," Dr. Gol-
nick said.
To begin with, pediatric den-
tists suggest using a piece of
gauze or a washcloth to wipe the
gums of a toothless infant. Not
only does this cleanse the gums,
it also accustoms the child to reg-
ular hygienic practices.
"You do it for them until they
can demonstrate that they can do
it adequately," said Dr. Nelson
Hersh, a West Bloomfield ortho-
dontist. "You want to make it a
pleasant experience."
Once the first tooth erupts,
anywhere from 3 months of age
to after one year, dentists suggest

parents begin brushing the teeth
with a small, soft-bristled brush.
Dr. Cari Zupko, a pediatric dentist
in Berkley, said using adult tooth-
paste is probably not a good idea;
infants and toddlers tend to swal-
low the toothpaste and the fluo-
ride can upset the stomach.
"You give them just a little, a
pea-sized amount, when you
know they aren't going to swal-
low it," she said, adding that
Baby Oragel Tooth and Gum
Cleanser is a good alterna-
tive.
The American Dental
Association also recom-
mends that parents sched-
ule the baby's first dental
exam sometime between the
appearance of the first tooth
and the first birthday. The
main purpose is to check
for trouble spots, said Chris
Martin, ADA spokesman.
"It is a good chance for the
dentist to go over proper hy-
giene and to make sure the teeth
are coming in properly."
Most children, however, don't

Food

Amount

Chocolate cake
Apple pie
Raisins
Colas
Marshmallow
Cocoa
Brownies

one piece
one piece
4-6
10 oz.
1 average
8 oz.
1 piece

make it to the dentist until after
their third birthday. By that time,
the damage may be irreversible.
Dr. Zupko recently saw an 18-
month-old child who had to have
four teeth extracted and replaced
by crowns because of damage at-
tributed to falling asleep with a
bottle in his mouth.
"Decay starts as a white spot
on the tooth," she said. "As the
enamel wears away, the tooth
turns brown. Sometimes, by the
time I actually see the chil-
dren, there are almost
no teeth left."
Once a child has de-
veloped the manual
dexterity to brush her
own teeth, usually
around age 5, she can
take over responsibility
for brushing after meals
and before bedtime.
Flossing, which requires
more fine-motor skills, probably
won't be mastered until age 10.
Until that time, parents can help
children with this task at least
three times a week. ❑

Sugar Content Substitutes

s uet-free jello

esh fruits
fresh omits
milk, unsweetened juice
arfess gum
.e juice
custard