By Ron Ostroff
Care for your teeth and get to keep them
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month
EAST BRUNSWICK n Good dental health starts with a toothbrush in the hands of small child.
“Brushing and flossing is learned behavior,” said Dr. Steve Susskind, a dentist in East Brunswick, who for 12 years has done education programs for area school children. “If we teach our children good dental care at an early age, they’ll have teeth to take care of when they’re older.”
“Sometimes children will ask me: ‘Do I really need to brush all of my teeth?’
“My response is simple: ‘Brush only those teeth that you want to keep.’”
The way young children care for their teeth is vital because it will affect their dental health and possibly their overall health for the rest of their lives.
This February, marked by the American Dental Association as National Children’s Dental Health Month, is a great opportunity to teach or review good dental practices with your children. But you must be sure you are practicing good dental hygiene, so children can also learn from your example in addition to what you teach them.
“When the economy is bad and money becomes even more of an issue, people start cutting back on medical care,” said Dr. Susskind, a dentist since 1992, who opened his East Brunswick practice in 1996. “One of the first things cut or reduced is visits to the dentist. So how you take care of your own teeth is more important than ever.”
Here’s what you can do:
•Brush and floss at least twice a day. Brushing after every meal is even better. Your teeth will last longer. And everyone around you will appreciate that your mouth doesn’t smell like decomposing food.
•Reduce or eliminate junk food. Junk food makes you fat. And it can damage your teeth. Sugar that remains on your teeth feeds bacteria that produces acid that eats away essential tooth enamel.
•Reduce or give up soda. If your teeth have a public enemy number one, it is probably soda and other sugary drinks. Think of it as drinking gallons and gallons of sugar water. It can put on pounds, do harm to your blood sugar levels and immune system and damage the very thin, hard outer surface of the teeth n the enamel. Do you get thirsty between meals? Reach for water.
•Cut down your between meal snacks and keep them healthy. If you want gum, have sugar-free. Chewing sugar-free gum increases the flow of saliva and helps wash away some of the food and harmful sugars from your teeth.
•Protect your mouth, your teeth and your smile. If you regularly play sports n not just contact sports n think about a mouth guard. With so many children damaging or losing teeth in athletic accidents, parents must play a preventive role. If you are involved in a sport that poses a risk to your mouth, consider a mouth guard.
•Visit your dentist at least every six months to catch any changes in your mouth and to treat small problems before they become bigger and costly.
•Remember your mouth is the gateway to your health. Because the mouth is probably the only organ you can see inside of, it can exhibit numerous symptoms which point to possibly larger problems. The mouth can be an indicator of the increased risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and dangerous infection.
“Taking care of your teeth does more than make sure you have a nice smile,” Dr. Susskind said. “It can affect our appearance, our ability to eat certain foods and how we regard ourselves. Regular dental examinations are a way to keep a professional watchful eye on your overall health from inside out.”
Use National Children’s Dental Health Month to improve the way you treat your mouth and your teeth. Then teach those good habits to your children.
“Children are never too young to start teaching them how to make sure they can maintain a mouth full of healthy teeth,” Dr. Susskind said. “The result: Dental visits that are less stressful and less expensive. And dentists and patients like that.”
Dr. Steven Susskind DMD
469 Cranbury Road
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
732-254-9111
