Working at a dentistry always brings up the main sources of confusion for patients, as you are faced with frequently occurring problems. One of them is how to care for milk teeth, and this is why I have decided to write this article.
What are milk teeth
In many mammals, and in all primates, including humans, the young offspring have a temporary set of teeth that fall out all on their own. This always happens before the animal reaches full maturity, and the human being is no different in this regard, either. The milk teeth usually have an enamel covering of roughly half of what adult teeth have, but have more dental pulp than mature teeth. This means that they are more likely to be infiltrated by bacteria, and this is also why it is necessary to keep these teeth clean. MIlk teeth also have shorter roots that mature teeth, and this makes them more likely to become dislodged or to fall out. They also tend to be much smaller than the mature teeth, once those come in.
Caring for milk teeth is done in the same manner as it is for adult teeth. Experts disagree on specifics, but the general scheme is the same. Some sources, like this article, claims that you have to start brushing only after the first eight teeth come through, but others state that you have to start cleaning the teeth as soon as the child is eating foods other than mother’s milk. This might occur even before the first tooth comes in.
Having raised a child myself, I can state my own opinion here. I started administering a special scrub for baby teeth with a warm, wet rag from very early on, as soon as my daughter was able to see me and lift her own head. We have never experienced any difficulty or discomfort on the side of the child while doing this. Once teeth have completely erupted, we started brushing them, very lightly at first, as the gums are so gingerly and sensitive. The results have so far been really good, and we have experienced no dental troubles as of yet.
Basically, all of the rules that apply to mature teeth also apply to milk teeth. Seeing as the enamel is smaller, and the dentine is larger, the rules about infection are even truer than usual, and extra care needs to be taken to make sure that an infection does not occur. Seeing as how well children behave when sweets are involved, this is some very important information indeed! If an infection or a breach in enamel, otherwise known as a cavity, occurs, the response from the parents needs to be immediate, as the infection can spread very easily, as the milk teeth have smaller enamels and larger areas of dentine.