Oral Hygiene and Cavity Prevention ( from Dr. Pritzi Arce)

Hi mga momsh share ko lang po ito frim FB by Dr. Pritzi Arce 🥰 This is Dr. Pritzi Arce, a mom who practices Pediatric Dentistry. I would like to share with you some tips on oral hygiene and cavity prevention for kids. Over the past ECQ (up to present) I received a lot of online consultation (for free) everyday via Facebook (mommydmd), Instagram (@mommy_dmd) and viber groups. I just would like to share with you the common concerns of the Moms coz it might be helpful to some of you. 🙂 1 Q: At what age should we start bringing the child to the dentist? A: Ideal is by age 1 or when the teeth start to come out. This is to familiarize the child with the dentist and to teach the parents proper oral hygiene at home 2 Q: My child has stains on the teeth from vitamins or iron, what can I do? A: Bring your child to the pedia dentist for cleaning and removal of stains. New stains can still be easily removed while old stains are harder to remove and might require polishing by the dentist but really old stains might not be removed. Fluoride varnish every 3 months and toothmousse can be applied after brushing to prevent the stains from developing into a cavity. 3 Q: My child has starting cavities/ white/ brown spots on the teeth. What can I do? A: Since it was ECQ, I didn’t advise them to go to the dentist yet so I told them to use fluoride toothpaste (I am gonna post my recommended ones), floss if the teeth has tight contacts and apply toothmousse after brushing. Make sure the milk and food aren’t kept long in the mouth coz this causes more cavities. Next cause is eating of candies, chocolates and frequent snacking. Breastfeeding can also cause cavities if milk is left in the mouth especially night feeding. My advise is to wipe the teeth with gauze or washcloth with little toothpaste then apply toothmousse directly on the teeth when the child falls asleep. 4 Q: When should babies start cleaning their teeth? A: Finger brush with no toothpaste at 1 or 2 months, teether brush/ chewbrush with non fluoride organic toothpaste at 3 months til baby has teeth. Soft silicone tongue cleaner/ toothbrush from 6-9 months. Silicone toothbrush at 10-12 mos. Soft bristle and soft head toothbrush 1 year onwards. 5 Q: What are the usual causes of cavities in babies & young children? As mentioned above, keeping food long in the mouth (babad), leaving the bottle to sleep, night feeding, frequent snacking, candies and chocolates are some of the causes of cavities in babies and young children. 6 Q: How can parents maintain good oral hygiene at home? A: If the child has tight contacts in between the teeth, use a small dental flosser. Brush with a fluoride toothpaste (best to ask for dentist’s advise how to use it and how much to apply). Only a smear amount if the child doesn’t know how to spit yet. Apply toothmousse after brushing and leave it for 30 minutes, no eating drinking or rinsing. This is to prevent cavities and if there are starting cavities, to help remineralize (make it harder) to prevent it from getting bigger. Best to bring to a pedia dentist if there are starting cavities. Toothmousse is dentist prescribed. I have this at the clinic. You should get instructions how to use it. :)