FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) – February is National Children’s Dental Health Month — highlighting different approaches to dental health in children and promoting good oral hygiene.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cavities in teeth are the most common form of chronic disease in the United States. That can be said for both younger children who develop cavities in their baby teeth and also adolescents who get cavities in their adult teeth.
Dr. Hannah Summerfelt, a dentist in Fairbanks said developing dental hygiene skills is important even at an early age because “kids start getting their first adult teeth around the age of six.”
If left untreated, cavities can lead to more serious infections which in severe cases can result in death. According to the CDC fluoride is a key part of preventing cavities in children as using fluoride varnish can prevent one-third of cavities in children.
When left untreated, those cavities can become infected which can produce symptoms such as swelling and pain.
“Any kind of infection might damage the permanent teeth but also could affect the child systemically, like even their heart,” explained Dr. Phyllis Pendergrast, who owns her own dental practice in Fairbanks.
Kids need to brush their teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and the CDC recommends helping children brush their teeth with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste until they develop that skill.
Drs. Pendergrast and Summerfelt said some kids don’t let their parents brush their teeth which is why they make sure to provide a positive experience for kids that visit their practice.
“We tell the parents sometimes play dentists,” Pendergrast said.
This can be done by asking the child to lie down on the bed while pretending to examine their mouth and brush their teeth.
It’s also important for babies to have good oral hygiene as well. The CDC recommends wiping their gums twice a day with “a soft, clean cloth in the morning after the first feeding and right before bed.”
Once teeth start to develop, they recommend using a small, soft toothbrush with plain water and having those teeth checked by the child’s first birthday. Dr. Summerfelt said that they like to see kids at their practice before one of their first teeth comes in before their birthday.
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