Dental Health: It's All in the Family

It's easy to guide your family toward good oral health. All it takes is the right information and a little practice to keep them moving in the right direction!

As a parent, you can work with your children to help them understand why good oral care is important — and show them how to do it right! This Family Guide to Oral Health will give you just what you need to keep your whole family smiling.

In this section, learn about:

HOW TO BRUSH
HOW TO FLOSS
FLUORIDE
SNACKING AND TOOTH DECAY
THE DENTAL CHECKUP
PREVENTING EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES

Visit Colgate's 3-D Guide to Brushing.

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Fluoride is the best cavity fighter you can find as you guide your family to a lifetime of bright smiles! It keeps the whole family's teeth strong — no matter what their ages.

How Fluoride Works
Every day, the enamel on teeth is attacked by acids produced in dental plaque. These acids can make teeth weaker, and can result in decay.

That's where fluoride comes in. When it reaches your teeth, fluoride is absorbed into the enamel. It helps to repair the enamel and prevent tooth decay. It can even help stop the decay process.

How to Get Fluoride
Topical fluoride is applied to the teeth from outside, such as fluoride toothpaste, fluoride rinse and fluoride gel.
Ingested fluoride is swallowed and works from the inside. This occurs through drinking fluoridated community water, or if the water is not fluoridated, consuming fluoride tablets.

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If fluoride is our greatest protection against decay, then frequent snacking can be our teeth's biggest enemy. Every day, you and your family face snacking challenges. Here's what you need to know:

It's How Often You Snack that Matters
The truth is that what your family eats isn't as important as when and how often they snack! It all has to do with the "plaque reaction" , and this is how it works:

The Plaque Reaction
Everyone has plaque bacteria in their mouths. But when these plaque bacteria meet up with the sugars and starches that are found in snacks such as cookies, candies, dried fruits, soft drinks, or even pretzels or potato chips, the plaque reacts to create acid, and a "plaque attack" occurs.

The fact is, most snacks that you eat contain either sugars or starches that give plaque this opportunity to make acid. And each "plaque attack" can last for up to 20 minutes after you have finished your snack. During this period, the plaque acid is attacking tooth enamel, making it weak. That's when cavities can start!

Fighting Back against Plaque
The good news is, you can take a stand against plaque! By brushing twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste and by reducing the number of times you snack each day, you and your family can help prevent tooth decay.

When it comes to snacking, it's best to choose something nutritious and to snack in moderation. It's also better to eat the whole snack at one time! Here's why: Eating five pieces of a snack at one time exposes your teeth to possible tooth decay — for approximately 20 minutes. Nibbling on those same five pieces at five different times exposes your teeth to possible tooth decay for approximately 100 minutes. What a difference!

You Need to Watch Baby's Sweets, too!
Infants are just as susceptible to decay as older children and adults. In fact, Early Childhood Caries can be a very serious condition. See The Preventing Early Childhood Caries section below for more information.

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The dental professional is your family's partner on the Bright Smiles pathway. Be sure to schedule regular dental appointments for the whole family. A child's first visit should take place before his or her first birthday.

Dental checkups early in a child’s life allow children to have a positive dental health experience.

TIP: Take your young toddler with you to your own appointment first. That way, the dental clinic becomes a familiar place.

X-rays:
These "pictures" show the dental professional what’s going on inside the teeth and beneath the gum line. During the x-ray, your child will wear a lead apron to prevent unnecessary exposure.

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It’s best not to put your baby to bed with a bottle. If you must put your baby to bed with a bottle, put only plain water in it.

You can use a bottle to feed your baby at regular feeding times, but allowing the bottle to be used as a pacifier can be a major cause of caries.

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