What Does a
Smile Do??
This lesson is
intended to understand and
promote the importance of proper dental care for infants.
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First name
Last name
Birthday of name entered above
Have you ever seen this
before?
Decay or cavities can start before your baby even has
teeth. The baby or primary teeth are important to your child. They
help your child chew food easily, speak clearly, and act as spacers for
permanent teeth. Decay can be painful and also place the child at
risk for increased infections and illness.
The four most important causes
of Tooth Decay are:
1. Enamel defects or a
tooth that is susceptible to decay
2.
High carbohydrate
intake in the infant's diet
3.
Oral hygiene of the
mother and baby
4.
Milk pooling in the
babies mouth from a dripping bottle
OBJECTIVES: By the end of this session you
will be able to: *Choose
one
method for cleaning your infants' gums/teeth
*Choose two benefits of
healthy teeth
*Observe the difference
between healthy and unhealthy teeth
*Select a teething method
that may work for your child
*Name two ways to wean your baby from a bottle
*Identify two snacks that
are tooth healthy
Activity
1: Importance of Dental Care
List two reasons why you think dental care
is important for children:
Dental care is important because...
It
keeps your child's teeth healthy for:
chewing
speaking
healthy
adult teeth
overall
health
avoid
the pain of dental procedures due to unhealthy teeth
What
happens if your infant loses his/her teeth too early?
Permanent
teeth will be affected; they may come in crowded or out
of alignment.
When
should dental care for infants begin?
At birth!
Wiping your infant's gums at least once
a day with a clean, damp washcloth or gauze pad will help reduce
plaque build up.
A
small soft baby toothbrush can also be used!
What is Plaque?
It's
important to remove plaque from your baby's gums even before teeth appear.
What is
plaque? It is a soft, sticky, and colorless film that is made up
of germs that live on your infant's teeth and gums all the time.
Plaque
must be removed daily to prevent the germs from
making acid and other products that can cause cavities and damage the gums and
bone around the teeth.
When should tooth brushing begin?
Begin
brushing your child's teeth as soon as the first tooth erupts.
Not
all children will cooperate, but you should insist upon doing this.
It
is very important to clean your baby's teeth before
bedtime.
Start
dental visits by your child's first birthday. If you think your child has dental
problems, take him/her to the dentist as soon as possible.
Activity 2:
Childhood Caries
Questions
1. You don't need to brush or clean your baby's mouth until they get teeth.
True
False
2. Your
child is not at risk for infection or illness if he has dental decay.
True
False
3.
After each feeding, wipe the child's teeth and gums with a damp
washcloth or gauze pad, to remove plaque.
True
False
4. Children who have cavities or teeth removed are not at risk for poor
nutrition.
True
False
5. You should always help your children
brush their teeth.
True
False
1. Plaque is present from birth and
baby's mouth needs to be cleaned on a daily basis.
2. Decay is often accompanied by infection. Infection reduces your bodies
ability to fight illness.
3. It is important to wipe your infant's teeth and gums after each feeding
to remove unwanted plaque.
4. Cavities and missing teeth make it harder for children to bite and chew
foods. Avoiding foods limits the variety of nutrients children need to
grow and develop.
5. It is recommended that you supervise your children while they brush.
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What is Early
Childhood Caries (Baby Bottle Tooth Decay)?
The
destruction of the
first teeth caused
by allowing a baby's teeth and gums to bathe in sugary-rich liquids for a
long time
This destruction is
characterized by cavities, usually on the top front teeth.
The cavities may
look like brown stains, soft spots, holes, or broken teeth. White spots can be
baby bottle tooth decay. They look very white and dull on the
tooth. These can develop into decay in as little as 30 days.
How does Baby Bottle
Tooth Decay happen?
Usually
when an infant is allowed to drink from a bottle too often, especially
when the baby goes to sleep with the bottle
When
an infant falls asleep with the bottle in her mouth, the juice or milk will
cause bacteria to make (acid) plaque
on the teeth or gums.
Plaque
can eventually lead to cavities that can cause painful toothaches and make it hard
for the infant to eat.
When
babies are given bottles to fall asleep with there
is also a chance of ear infection from
fluid drainage into
the ear.
Activity
3:
Questions:
1. It's OK to let your baby fall asleep with a bottle in her mouth.
True
False
2.
You should coat a pacifier in sugar to make it taste better.
True
False
3. Bacteria
grows faster in sugar.
True
False
4. Babies can
get ear infections from falling asleep with a bottle in the mouth.
True
False
1. The liquid in the
bottle can cause choking and tooth decay.
2. Coating a pacifier or nipple in sugar gives the bacteria more food to
grow on.
3. Sugar is bacteria's favorite food and can be found in fruit juice,
formula, milk and many other foods.
4. Laying a baby flat during feeding may allow formula to enter the middle
ear and cause irritation.
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Teething
When do a baby's
primary teeth come in?
It
varies
from baby to baby
Primary
teeth generally
come in around 6-9 months and most babies have all their baby teeth by the
time they are 2 years old
What can you do to make teething
easier for your baby?
Provide cold teething rings.
Give your baby a cool, clean washcloth to chew
on. Or try teething tablets, and rub your baby's gums with clean fingers
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Weaning
and Healthy Snack Foods
How do I get my child
to fall asleep (without using a bottle filled with juices or formulas?)
Establish
a new bedtime routine.
If your baby
needs a bottle for comfort, fill it with plain
water, or use a clean orthopedic
pacifier (never one dipped in honey or sugar)
Offer
your baby a blanket, stuffed animal, or music instead
of a bottle.
Hold
or rock you baby to sleep
Your
baby will learn it is nighttime by the patterns you establish. There may be
some resistance and tears for the first few
days, but pediatricians find that
children adapt easily - usually in less than a week.
Introduce juice in a cup - bottles should only be used for formula or water
Your baby should be off the bottle around his/her first birthday
Snacks for Healthy
Teeth (~8 months and older)
Foods
low in sugar like WIC cereals as opposed to high sugar cereals such as Sugar
Smacks. WIC cereals low in sugar are Cheerios, Rice Chex, Kix,
Life and Corn Flakes.
Minimize
foods that are high in sugar (cookies, candies, kool-aid, soda, etc.)
Use
caution with foods that can cause choking hazards (grapes, popcorn, nuts, peanut
butter, hotdogs, celery, carrots and apples)
now lets review:
Name
one way to clean your infant's gums/teeth:
What is a benefit of having healthy teeth?
Name one way to wean your child from the bottle.
Identity two healthy snacks for your infant.
Which
WIC Office do you go to?
Bullhead City
Kingman
Lake Havasu City
Where
are you taking today's lesson?
You have just completed
the infant class. If you have any questions or comments please e-mail
one of our nutritionist. We'll be glad to answer any of your
questions.
needs a bottle for comfort, fill it with plain
water, or use a clean orthopedic
pacifier (never one dipped in honey or sugar) 