How can I help my children to care for their teeth and prevent cavities?

Taught from an early age, good dental hygiene to your children is an investment that will benefit it throughout his life. You can start by giving an example: if you take good care of your teeth, you send a message on the importance of dental health. And anything that makes fun dental hygiene, like brushing your teeth together or let your child choose his own toothbrush, can only encourage them to have good hygiene.

For your children care for their teeth and gums and reduce the risk of cavities, you can teach them to follow these golden rules:

Brushing teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque, a sticky coating that adheres to the tooth surface and is the main cause of tooth decay.
Use dental floss every day to remove the accumulated plaque between teeth and under the gingival edge before it turns into tartar. Once tartar is formed, only your dentist can remove.
Eat well-balanced meals with few sugars or starches that produce acid from the plate and promote cavities. If you eat these foods, try to eat lunch with instead of snacking during the day - the salivary flow is more important during meals and helps eliminate food remains.
Use dental products based fluoride, including toothpaste.
Take your child to the dentist for regular checks.

What techniques for brushing my child?

Check brushing your children until they have absorbed the following points:

Use a pea size of toothpaste (fluoride). Make sure your child does not swallow.
With a toothbrush with soft bristle brush to begin the inner surface of each tooth, where the plate is more likely to accumulate. Brush gently with a move back and forth.
Clean the outer surfaces of each tooth. The strands of the brush to make an angle towards the gingival border. Brush gently, a move back and forth.
Brush the surface of each jaw tooth. Brush gently, a move back and forth.
Use the tip of the brush to clean the area in back of each front tooth, top and bottom.
It's always fun to brush the tongue!

What is the sealing of paths and how can I tell if my child needs?

The sealing of paths creates a very effective barrier against decay. The seal (closure) is done with a thin layer of fluid resin that will harden and is applied to the surfaces of teeth masticatrices after the child, where are the most cavities. The application of this resin is completely painless and can be done in one sitting. Your dentist will tell you if your child should receive such treatment.

What is fluoride and how can I tell if my child gets enough?

The addition of fluoride in the form of fluoride is one of the best ways to prevent cavities. Fluoride exists naturally and its contact with tooth enamel makes it more durable. The use of fluoride toothpaste is sufficient to prevent cavities in most children. In contrast, children at risk of high caries and have no access to fluoridated beverages (water, milk and salt) will prescribe profitably tablets or mouthwash fluoride in addition to fluoride toothpaste.

What is the importance of food for the oral health of my child?

A well-balanced diet is necessary for your child's teeth strong and resistant to decay. Besides a full range of vitamins and minerals, feeding a child must be rich in calcium, phosphorus, and must contain the required amount of fluoride.

If fluoride is the best protection against tooth decay, the frequent snacking is the greatest friend of the cavities. Carbohydrates and starches that are found in foods such as biscuits, candies, dried fruit, soft drinks, pretzels and chips acid release as soon as they are in contact with dental plaque. These acids attack the enamel and can cause the onset of caries.

The attacks caused the plate can take up to 20 minutes after a meal or ingestion of food. It would be wise to avoid snacking between meals.

What if my child chipped, broken or lost a tooth final?

Any injury to the mouth of your child you must immediately contact your dentist. The dentist will examine the damage and determine the appropriate treatment.

If your child has difficulty because of a cracked tooth, chipped or broken should be immediately you visit your dentist. In the meantime, you can give him a painkiller after having sought the advice to your pharmacist. Recover if possible all the fragments of the injured tooth and bring them to your dentist.

If a tooth is completely out of the mouth, take it as soon as possible to your dentist without the handle or clean it. Keep the tooth in the saliva, milk or saline solution until you arrive at the dentist. It may be possible to relocate this tooth in the mouth of your child.