Oral Health - The Basic Facts

As a teacher, you have an ongoing opportunity to share knowledge and encourage positive oral health behaviors that will affect your students throughout their lives. By educating your students about the importance of oral health, you'll be helping to prevent problems before they occur. Healthy teeth and gums contribute in many ways to our everyday lives, including overall health, self-esteem, language development, social development/self-confidence, and conveying emotion!

Poor oral health can have a direct impact on a child's learning, and can affect the family, too. Millions of days of absence from school are due to oral health problems. If a child misses school, he/she misses important learning. Plus, the parent or a friend or family member may end up missing work — and possibly income — by staying home to care for the child. That's why Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures ® emphasizes prevention. Studies have shown that oral care is far more effective when it is prevention-oriented rather than disease-oriented.

This section contains reference information about oral health for children. It is presented in digest form, for easy access to pertinent facts. It will come in handy as you continue to serve as an advisor to your students and their families, helping their smiles to last a lifetime!

It's All About Prevention

Snacking And Tooth Decay

Primary And Permanent Teeth

Tooth And Mouth Safety

1. Toothbrushing:

Brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste is an excellent preventive measure against tooth decay.

• Brushing keeps teeth and gums healthy and clean, and keeps student' smiles bright and their breath fresh. Stress that brushing with fluoride toothpaste helps make teeth resistant to decay.
• Brushing is important in making them feel and look good, too!
• Advise children to brush thoroughly with fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day — especially after eating breakfast and before bedtime.

Visit Colgate's 3-D Guide to Brushing.

Toothbrushing Tips for

DO...

• Choose a toothbrush with with soft bristles
• Try to use a youth-sized toothbrush to reach every tooth more easily.
• Use a pea-sized amount (1/8-3/8", or 3-5 mm ) of fluoridated toothpaste.
• Brush all tooth surfaces, gumline and tongue, with a circular massaging motion.
• Always rinse your toothbrush after using it, and store it where the bristles can air dry without being crushed.
• Replace your toothbrush when it becomes worn, or "splayed." A splayed brush does not reach the tooth's surface properly, so it doesn't clean efficiently. The American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush every 3 months, or after infectious diseases.
• Floss once a day to remove plaque that brushing may miss.

DON'T...

• Share your toothbrush
• Use your toothbrush for anything except brushing your teeth.
• Forget to brush — especially before bedtime. At night, saliva – a plaque neutralizer – is reduced, so teeth are more susceptible to tooth decay. (See "Snacking and Tooth Decay" below.)

1. Tooth Protectors: Fluoride and Dental Sealants

About Fluoride
Fluoride is a natural element that combines with enamel, the outside layer of the tooth, to strengthen it. It makes teeth harder and protects against decay, or cavities. It's like an "invisible helmet" — and is particularly important for growing children.

• No matter what your age, the surface of the tooth is continually changing.
• When fluoride is applied, it is absorbed by tooth enamel, repairing it — or "remineralizing" — and thus strengthening teeth.
• At the same time, "demineralization" — the breakdown of enamel — is also occurring. This is known as tooth decay.
• Remineralization through fluoride is the "antidote" to demineralization. In fact, it even repairs early stages of tooth decay before they become visible. And water fluoridation reduces cavities 20 - 40% in children!

Ways of getting fluoride:
Fluoride comes from a number of sources, both topical and ingested.

Topical fluoride is applied to teeth from the "outside" of the tooth:

• Fluoride toothpaste — remind students to check the label!
• Fluoride rinse — used daily at home or sometimes through weekly rinses at school. (Not recommended for children under five or six years of age, who may swallow it.)
• Fluoride gel — a concentrated formula applied by the oral health professional at the regular checkup.

Ingested fluoride is swallowed and works from the "inside." It is effective only while teeth are growing in the gums.

• Fluoridated community water, (check with your oral health professional or local health authorities to see if your community has fluoride in the water).
• Fluoride tablets/drops prescribed by the dentist or physician (used only if community water is not fluoridated.)

About Dental Sealants
Dental sealants are thin, protective plastic coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth (molars). They act as a physical barrier, filling in the pits and grooves where food and bacteria could get stuck and cause cavities.

• Sealants are applied to the child's teeth at the dental office or in a program at school.
• Once applied, dental sealants can last for years.
• Sealants should be checked during regular visits to the dental office.

1. Gum Health

Dental Floss
Children need to know at an early age that oral health is more than just tooth care. Gums are important, too! As soon as the child has sufficient manual dexterity and the teeth are in contact with one another (side-by-side) they should begin to floss.

• Healthy gums provide the foundation for healthy teeth — and a bright smile.
• A good way to care for the gums is to floss.
• Flossing helps to protect against gum disease, it removes plaque and food from between the teeth — especially near the gumline — and it reaches where the toothbrush can't!
• In some countries, like China, interdental cleaners or cleaning aides such as toothpicks or sticks are used instead of floss.

1. The Dental Checkup

Taking care of one's teeth should be a partnership — and that's where the Dental Health Team comes in.

• The child can take responsibility for his/her teeth between dental visits by brushing thoroughly with fluoride toothpaste and flossing.
• The dentist checks regularly to make sure teeth and gums are healthy, diagnoses dental problems and treats dental disease.
• Some of the things the Dental Health Team may do to help keep children's teeth healthy are:

— evaluate oral hygiene practices
— clean and polish teeth to remove stains and tartar
— apply a fluoride gel treatment
— take x-rays of the teeth and jaw bones to check for any hidden problems
— apply dental sealants
— teach proper methods for care of teeth and gums

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If fluoride is our greatest protection against decay, then frequent snacking can be our teeth's biggest enemy. Every day, children face snacking challenges. The truth is what your students eat 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 help your students take a stand against plaque! By brushing twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste and by reducing the number of times they snack each day, they can help prevent tooth decay.

When it comes to snacking, students should try to choose something nutritious and to snack in moderation. It is 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 one time — 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!

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1. About Primary Teeth
   Primary (baby) teeth play an important role in the development of permanent teeth.

Functions of Primary Teeth:

— Saving space for permanent teeth
— Eating
— Talking
— Smiling and self-esteem

Note: Once permanent teeth have erupted, they help in eating, talking, and smiling, too!

1. About Permanent Teeth

• When the permanent tooth is ready to grow in, the roots of the primary tooth dissolve, allowing it to fall out. The permanent tooth now has room to move right into its space.
• Among the first permanent teeth to come through are the six-year molars, which usually come in at 5 or 6 years of age. These teeth come through at the very back of the mouth and don't push any primary teeth out. For this reason, they are often mistaken for primary teeth.
• Most eight-year-old children have their six-year-molars.

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1. Permanent Teeth are Forever!

Children only get one set of permanent teeth, and must care for them throughout their lives.

• A valuable way for children to maintain good oral health and protect their mouths is by incorporating safe behaviors into the classroom and daily routine.
• Even though a tooth has grown in, the roots are still developing up to the age of 10. Injury to teeth between the ages of six and nine can halt this root growth of a tooth, and may lead to loss or discoloration of the permanent tooth.

Protect Your Teeth! A Safety Checklist

• Encourage student awareness of ways to help protect teeth and mouths from injury
• Wear safety gear for playing sports and training — like helmets and mouth guards.
• Be aware of others around you — don't swing bats, kick balls, etc. when others are unaware or within reach.
• Always wear your seatbelt.
• Don't use your teeth as tools — like for opening beverage bottles or holding things (pencils, eyeglasses).
• Don't push others at the water fountain or on playground equipment.
• Avoid smoking or chewing tobacco, which can be harmful to your oral health.
• Know first aid if tooth is knocked out (see below).

First Aid Alert: What to do if a tooth is knocked out

1. If tooth is dirty, rinse it gently under running water. Do not scrub it.
2. If it is a permanent tooth, gently insert in its socket. If this isn't possible, place the tooth in a container of milk or cool water.

Note: Do not try to pack a baby tooth back in the socket. If it's a baby tooth — or if you're not sure — simply place it in milk or cool water.

3. Take the child and tooth to the dental office immediately!

Click here for a printable Dental Emergencies Chart.

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