Feeling the little ones' (milk) teeth
Please all go "aaaaaaah". We are focusing on the topic of dental health - together with dentist Irina Kuhnert, our practice neighbour. We have summarised nine important points:
Fluoride administration: Only locally, i.e. via the toothpaste - no tablets. This is the recommendation of the German and European Society of Paediatric Dentistry. Nevertheless, there are professional associations in Germany that recommend vitamin D plus fluoride in tablet form. We here say: only vitamin D as a tablet, fluorine with the toothpaste as soon as the first teeth appear.
Tooth enamel defects: Are common in children. Important: Have it checked immediately if anything is noticeable or at least once a year at the dentist. For the first time when a few teeth have come in or between 1 and 2 years - also to create a routine for the child.
Milk tooth decay: Prompt treatment is important as it spreads quickly due to the soft tooth structure. Important: tooth decay is a bacterial disease. Parents can transmit tooth decay to children. Do not lick the dummy! Do not share spoons!
Dental care: twice a day. Electrically, if the child accepts this. Important here too: Develop a routine. Start as soon as the first teeth appear.
Re-brushing: Parents should continue brushing until the child can really do it on their own. This varies, some children do this well at the age of 6 to 7, others at the age of 10.
After brushing: In the evening after brushing, only water or unsweetened tea - no honey either. Attention! Milk is caries-promoting! Breast milk too.
Fruit juices and fruit: It is best to have them with the main meals and in any case not all the time. Because these are "acid attacks" that promote tooth decay.
Soother: Wean off at 2.5 years. Anterior open bite / bone malformations can otherwise only be compensated for to a limited extent by jaw growth.
Caries treatment: For small children, child-friendly under ITN (anaesthesia) if there is no other option. Important: Early treatment is important for caries. Waiting months until the child can perhaps manage without anaesthetic is not a good idea, because otherwise it may be too late and the damage much greater. With anaesthesia, it is less traumatising for the child. It is therefore advisable to go to a dental practice that has experience with anaesthetising children and is well equipped to do so.
Further interesting tips
Self-harming behaviour II
A difficult, stressful topic: self-harming behaviour or scratching. The doc gives us the most important facts in a nutshell. For anyone who would like to read more, here is a link to an interview that the child and adolescent psychiatrist Frank Köhnlein gave to the Swiss parents' magazine "Fritz und Fränzi".
Buckling/lowering foot
Today a topic that can be categorised under "avoiding unnecessary visits to the practice", a true classic: the child's foot or the child's foot position.
Taking a temperature
Now it's getting curious. Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder told the Süddeutsche Zeitung this week that he takes his temperature every day. And he's not the only one. But is that even necessary?