Helping Kids Have Healthy Smiles

The Candy Culprit

Diagram of Mouth

Children make up more than half the dental caseload at Yellowhawk, but if they get regular checkups -- every six months -- they won't be as apt to have problems. The dental staff at Yellowhawk has several suggestions to help parents and children take care of young teeth.

• The first teeth break through at about six months. The first dental exam should be scheduled around the child's first birthday.



• The Reservation water system doesn't contain fluoride, which fortifies enamel on teeth. But fluoride supplements can be given to children who are at least six months old, and fluoride varnishes are available for toddlers and pre-schoolers.



• Sealants fill the grooves in teeth, flattening the surface, making teeth easier to brush.



• Encourage no sugar. Read labels. Try products like gum and candy that contain Xylitol, a new commercial sweetener that is not fermented by oral bacteria so it cannot cause cavities.

Finally, parents shouldn't talk about their own dental fears in front of the children. It's not a good idea, says Moore, "When a mom tells her kid 'the dentist is going to pull out all your teeth.'"

Wil Phinney is editor of the Confederated Umatilla Journal in Pendleton, Oregon.