Tooth Disorders—Child Dental Health

Healthy teeth are important to your child’s overall health. From the time your child is born, there are things you can do to promote healthy teeth and prevent cavities. For babies, you should clean teeth with a soft, clean cloth or baby’s toothbrush. Avoid putting the baby to bed with a bottle and check teeth regularly for spots or stains.

For all children, you should

• Start using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste when they are two years old. You might start sooner, if a dentist or doctor suggests it.
• Provide healthy foods and limit sweet snacks and drinks
• Schedule regular dental check-ups

Forming good habits at a young age can help your child have healthy teeth for life.

NIH: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

• Brushing Your Child’s Teeth (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Dental care – child (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Healthy Mouth for Your Baby – NIH (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) – PDF
• Healthy Smile for Your Young Child: Tips to Keep Your Child Healthy (National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center) – PDF
• Seal Out Tooth Decay: A Fact Sheet for Parents – NIH (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) – PDF
• Teething (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Tooth decay — early childhood (Medical Encyclopedia)

Your teeth are made of a hard, bonelike material. Inside the tooth are nerves and blood vessels. You need your teeth for many activities you may take for granted. These include eating, speaking and even smiling. But tooth disorders are nothing to smile about. They include problems such as cavities (also known as tooth decay), infections, and injuries.

The most familiar symptom of a tooth problem is a toothache. Others include worn-down or loose teeth. It’s important that you see a dentist if you have any problems with your teeth. Fortunately, you can prevent many tooth disorders by taking care of your teeth and keeping them clean.

• Amelogenesis imperfecta (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Broken or knocked out tooth (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bruxism (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Dental crowns (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Impacted tooth (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Root canal (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Tooth – abnormal colors (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Tooth abscess (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Toothaches (Medical Encyclopedia)