There is no greater joy for parents than having a healthy and happy baby. Don’t neglect your baby’s teeth if you love him. Develop good eating habits to prevent children’s tooth decay Tooth decay (commonly known as worm teeth or tooth decay) is the most common oral disease of children. The harm of tooth decay to children is shown in: 1. When tooth decay encounters acid, sweet, cold, hot stimulation, etc., it will feel painful and uncomfortable, affecting eating and sleeping; after further development of tooth decay invades the tooth pulp, the pain is very obvious, and when serious, there will be gum, facial swelling, even high fever and other systemic symptoms, seriously affecting the normal growth and development of children. 2.Chewing difficulty. Dental caries can cause children chewing difficulty, affect children to eat multi-fiber vegetables and meat, form bad eating habits such as partial eating, and cause nutritional imbalance; because of the partial chewing caused by dental caries, it can also lead to bilateral facial development asymmetry. 3.Caries of milk teeth affect permanent teeth. The normal development of permanent teeth can be affected by the untimely treatment of milk teeth caries, which can cause the obstacle of permanent teeth eruption and tooth alignment. 4.Psychological influence. Due to the influence of dental caries on speech, aesthetic and other functions, it will cause social interaction difficulties and psychological barriers to children and affect their physical and mental health. A healthy diet structure and good eating habits are the foundation of oral health and whole body health, and the development of good eating habits will benefit children for a lifetime. (1) Breastfeeding and proper use of bottles. (2) Eat sugar scientifically, drink less carbonated drinks, and stop eating after brushing teeth before bedtime. (3) Eat more fibrous food and enhance chewing function. Oral health care for children Making sure to brush and floss every morning and evening helps babies have healthy teeth and gums. Oral care for babies should begin soon after birth. Gums should be cleaned after every drink of milk. You can start brushing your baby’s teeth as soon as they emerge, and your child can usually brush alone when he or she is about 7 years old. Choose an appropriately sized toothbrush with soft bristles and consider a new toothbrush after about 3-4 months. The key points to guide children in brushing their teeth are: (1) Brush twice in the morning and twice in the evening, and it is more important to brush at night before going to bed. (2) Use an age-appropriate health care toothbrush and replace it every 3 months. (3) Do one person, one brush, one cup. (4) Parents should help and supervise children to learn to brush their teeth. Apply fluoride to prevent caries Applying fluoride film is a local application method to prevent caries, which has the effect of obviously inhibiting the metabolic growth of bacteria. Fluoride can affect the metabolic growth and reproduction of bacteria, hinder the adhesion of bacteria on the tooth surface, reduce the solubility of tooth surface substances and enhance the anti-acid property of tooth enamel. Fluoride coatings are available in different concentrations depending on the age of the child and are recommended for use 2-4 times a year. It is painless, non-invasive, safe and easy to use. It only requires the application of a fluoride sealant on the tooth surface, and after light curing, it is equivalent to wrapping the tooth with a protective shield. This method is easy to operate, painless and provides extra protection for the biting surface of the tooth to prevent decay. The best time for it is when the crowns of children’s teeth are fully erupted and caries has not yet occurred, usually at the age of 6-9 for the first permanent molar and 11-13 for the second permanent molar. After the closure, the teeth should be brushed properly and re-sealed if the sealant is found to fall off. Regular visits to the dentist Regular dental checkups for children can provide early treatment of diseases and prevention of diseases, observe the dental alignment and occlusion, caries and oral soft tissue condition, and correct the bad oral habits formed during the developmental period. Generally, children aged 0 to 5 years are examined every 3 to 4 months; children aged 6 years and above are examined every 6 months.