By: Laura J. Bon Tempo

It was recently brought to my attention that cavities in young children are on the rise. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 28% of young children today have cavities in their teeth.

Even though baby teeth end up in the "tooth fairies" pouch one day, that does not mean that they do not serve a very important function. Of course, we all understand the importance of chewing, but did you realize having baby teeth helps young children learning to speak clearly and form correct sounds? Baby teeth also play a critical role in maintaining a path and a space for permanent teeth to slide into.

With the importance of baby teeth established, I wanted to present some tips on maintaining those tiny pearls. First, it is never too early to start cleaning baby's mouth. After a feeding take a clean wet cloth and wipe baby's gums. This routine keeps the amount of germs down in the mouth, feels good to baby, and sets up good habits. I have also heard that baby's with clean gums have less teething pain.

The next important tip is never nurse or bottle feed your baby into a deep sleep. Which also means never, ever let any age child go to sleep with a bottle or a sippy cup in their mouth. Hold your baby while you feed them, when they start drifting off to sleep remove your breast or bottle and lay them down. It can be easy, just stick to it and the child will get used to it. Just because they give out a whimper (or cry) when putting them down does not mean you should quickly plug them back up with a bottle, cup or breast. A sleepy baby will sleep.

Perhaps you are reading this and thinking, "Oops, I already let little Suzy take a cup/bottle of milk/juice to bed." It is not too late to switch to water. If you think your child is going to balk at the idea, try this; put two drops of their favorite color of food coloring in the water. Tell them it is "magic water" if they take this to bed instead of their milk/juice they will have beautiful colorful dreams. You could also try to make up your own fanciful story. The point is to get them to switch to water. Being a parent often means getting creative.

At some point, when baby teeth erupt, you will want to change from using the wet cloth to using a toothbrush. When looking for a toothbrush look for a child sized brush with a small head, soft bristles, and a chunky handle. A chunky handle will be easier for little hands to hold. Even after you have transitioned to a toothbrush, children under 3 should not use fluoridated toothpaste. Young children do not usually spit out the paste which could result in ingesting too much fluoride that can stain permanent teeth. Non fluoridated toothpaste called "orajel toddler training toothpaste" can be found at the pharmacy.

The first dental check up for your child is around age one. This is an easy, short appointment. The dentist will look for early signs of plaque, decay, and proper development of teeth and mouth. This appointment is best done by a pediatric dentist. A pediatric dentist has 2-3 years of specialty training and only treats children. To find a pediatric dentist you can check the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry website.

Your child's daily structure and routine is important to them, teeth brushing twice a day should be included in their routine. It is recommended that one full minute be devoted to each brushing time. This will allow toddlers a chance to explore brushing their own teeth, with the final brushing being completed by the adult. Children need to be supervised during brushing and flossing up to age 8. This way parents can teach and encourage proper technique, while ensuring everything gets cleaned.

Of course, some children will be negative and resistant at times. Try using a hand puppet to hold the toothbrush and sing silly songs about teeth, invent games about how wide they can open their mouth. Be creative and have fun, this way your child will look forward to teeth brushing time.

Furthermore, never underestimate the importance of a healthy diet with children. A good diet promotes healthy tooth development as well as preventing tooth decay. Fruit is always a better option than candy, and do children ever really need to drink soda? It has also been recently discovered that the benefit of cheese is more than just its boost of calcium. Cheddar, Swiss, Mozzarella, and Monterey jack cheese tend to increase the mouths' production of saliva, this aids in clearing the teeth of food debris, especially after meals. The added calcium and phosphorous found in cheese work on re-mineralizing the enamel of teeth as well! What great news! Europeans have been ending meals with fruit and cheese for centuries and now we find out that it is far better to do this than to end a meal with a sugary dessert.

In conclusion, it is never too early, or too late, to set up healthy habits for a healthy smile.