CARE OF THE TEETH AND GUMS

CARE OF THE TEETH AND GUMS

Taking good care of teeth and gums is important because:

-         Strong healthy teeth are needed to chew and digest food well.

-         Painful cavities (holes in the teeth caused by decay) and sore gums can be prevented by good tooth care.

-         Decayed or rotten teeth caused by lack of cleanliness can lead to serious infections that may affect other parts of the body.

To keep the teeth and gums healthy:

1.     Avoid Sweets: Eating a lot of sweets (sugarcane, candy, pastry, tea, or coffee with sugar, soft or fizzy drinks like colas) rots the teeth quickly. Do not accustom children to sweets or soft drinks if you want them to have good teeth.

2.     Brush teeth well every day- and always brush immediately after eating anything sweet. Start brushing your children’s teeth as the teeth appear. Later, teach them to brush their teeth themselves, and watch to see that they do it right.

3.     In areas where there is not enough natural fluoride in water and foods, putting fluoride in the drinking water or directly on the teeth helps prevent cavities. Some health programs put fluoride on children’s teeth once or twice a year. Also, most foods from the sea contain a large amount of fluoride.

CAUTION: fluoride is poisonous if more than a small amount is swallowed. Use with care and keep it out of the reach of children. Before adding fluoride to drinking water, try to get the water tested to see how much fluoride is need.

            DAVID AMANGI TENDE-  tendsdavid1@gmail.com