I have always been an avid hockey player, and my love took a bad turn one day when I got struck in the mouth with the puck. It was a painful moment that left me with two teeth knocked out of my mouth. Had I taken the right steps after the accident, I could have possibly saved the teeth, but I did not know I had that option at the time. Thankfully, I worked up the courage to visit a dentist and ask what my options for teeth-replacement were. I was worried I would would have to live the rest of my life without smiling, but I was ecstatic to learn that I was the perfect candidate for dental implants. I created this blog to help others realize that there are so many options to replace missing teeth today that no one has to "just live with" an imperfect smile!
If you have a young child and want your son or daughter to grow up healthy with strong teeth, then it is never too early to start concentrating on good oral care. While it is a good idea to clean the gums and the first teeth that erupt through the gums, you also want to make sure that you avoid certain activities as well. These activities involve sharing saliva with your child. This can contribute to something called familial colonization.
What Is Familial Colonization?
Familial colonization is the term used to describe how parents, siblings, and other relatives pass oral bacteria to children when they are young. Children are not born with bacteria in the mouth. Bacterial colonies build over time, and more and more species of bacteria will enter your child's mouth as time passes. Once a specific type of bacteria enters the mouth, the bacteria will remain there, multiply, and thrive.
Since oral bacteria are responsible for causing cavities, you want to reduce the amount of microorganisms that your child is exposed to. This can help to reduce cavity concerns and gingivitis issues, at least until your son or daughter becomes older.
How Do You Reduce Bacteria?
You can reduce the amount of bacteria species that thrive in your child's mouth by doing a few simple and easy things. The most important thing is to not share cups, utensils, straws, or other items with your child that you place in your own mouth. This means that you should absolutely not use your mouth to "rinse" off pacifiers or other objects that fall to the ground.
You should also try to keep your child's toothbrush away from your own. There are likely to be at least 100 million bacteria on your own toothbrush, and the microorganisms can easily transfer to your child's brush. Place infant brushes in their own sealed containers and invest in slip-on toothbrush covers for your own and your toddler or school-aged child's brush. Make sure to buy two different colored covers so you can easily identify which is which.
Separate toothpaste and mouthwashes are a good idea as well. Also, consider kissing your child on the cheek instead of the lips. Direct contact is one of the easiest ways for oral bacteria to transfer from one person to the next.
If you have other questions about how you can reduce the bacterial activity in your child's mouth and how you can also stop yourself from swapping the microorganisms between family members, contact a dentist office like http://www.childrensdent.com.
Share27 June 2017
