On the
Channel Four's recent program, ‘Junk Food Kids: Whose to Blame? ‘ -
they showed
four year old overweight children with rotten teeth, having to get full mouth
teeth extractions due to decay and ulcers. It’s totally shocking as all this is
easily preventable.
On the
program one young mother complained it is always easier to say 'yes' to her
young children's demands! - oh dear!. She wants an easy life. she explains.
Ignorance
is not bliss and is no excuse. I feel so sorry for these young mums – why is no
one offering them advice??! Yes it is possible to have no fillings by simply
looking after your teeth and by brushing and avoiding sugary drinks and foods. I
only allowed my children occasional chocolate or ice cream – but NEVER sweets
that drips sugar for hours – such as lollipops, toffees, carbonated sugar
drinks etc.
Why are we not allowed to have fluoride in our
water as they do in other countries?
My son
works as a paediatric dentist – the consultant on the program says that pulling
the teeth is like putting windows into a burning house fire.
It is
easier and right to say NO sometimes! It is so much easier to say no and to
have children with healthy teeth - how it is easier to watch your children have
all their teeth pulled out?
Children
reach an age (about two) when they test to find out what the boundaries are - and
if a parent doesn't set any boundaries they can get highly confused.
I had a
light bulb moment when I lived north of Chicago. I was talking with a neighbour,
another young mum the same age as me then, mid-thirties, and she mentioned she
had no fillings! I was astonished and I asked her how this was possible? She
said she flossed and brushed her teeth regularly growing up. She said it was
too expensive not to, as dental treatment is not free there. Oddly in America decayed tooth repairs are called cavities, while here in the UK they are called fillings!
The
government could do much more and stop being in thrall to the sugar lobby. The
amounts of sugar and salt added to our food should be reduced, as it is in
other countries. We have managed to ban cigarette smoking in public places -
its time now to reduce sugar intake.
The advertising
of unhealthy food options to children should be banned on tv and on the front
of sugar-filled breakfast cereals.
Our eating
junk food is one of the major costs to the NHS - and causes obesity, diabetes,
teeth decay, heart disease and more.
Our NHS health treatment here is not
free either - someone pays for all the nurses and doctors, hospitals and
equipment! If we waste health service on
unnecessary treatments we then take money away from vital, life-saving services.)
**Its time
for more PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE – as being the cheaper approach! – through local
pedatric centres for babies and young infants, for monthly health checks, where
mothers get advice from nurses on healthy food. I had such a wonderful centre
when my daughter was born, north of Chicago near Lake Forrest and it was
invaluable. I don’t see GPs as the answer as many of them have NO pediatric
training! I want to see more specialist health
centres.
Why is
nothing improving? Many young mothers also smoke which harms their babies.
Children learn by example. Baby teeth are softer and more susceptible to decay.
The good news is decay it totally preventable with only a few simple
measures.
- Brush
teeth twice a day. Also floss.
- Use a
fluoride toothpaste.
- Visit
your dentist regularly. Get advice on correct brushing techniques. Once
children have their back molars they can be sealed to prevent decay.
- Read a
children's book on healthy teeth with your children and talk about animals
teeth.
- Avoid
sugary drinks - such as high sugary fruit juices and carbonated fizzy drinks,
which mean that unhealthy sugars stay in the mouth for hours.
- Avoid sucking
sugar-filled lollipops, toffees and other chewy sugars that drip sugar on the
baby teeth for hours at a time.
Instead
offer children healthier snack options - such as snack cheeses, crackers, fruit,
nuts, peanut butter, honey.
Instead of
lollipops, I occasionally allowed my children ice-cream or chocolate treats,
which stay in the mouth only a short time by contrast.
**ALSO We have an untapped army of retired
professionals (former nurses, teachers and others) who might be used to
volunteer their time to offer advice to young mothers on such things as breastfeeding, healthy diets, parenting, DIY and much more.
http://www.nqsurgicaldentistry.com.au/keep-childrens-teeth-healthy