Kids love sweets. Whether it is chocolates, ice creams, jelly beans or sweetened drinks, kids find it difficult to stay away from sugars. This, unfortunately, isn’t too good for their teeth! Excessive intake of sweets leads to faster tooth decay and development of cavities. This bit of information has been known for ages now. However, tooth decay not only affects children but infants too. In fact, newly erupted teeth amongst babies are highly prone to decay.

Babies start teething between 4 to 6 months of age and are around 2 years of old by the time the complete set of 20 teeth has emerged. Children use this primary set of teeth till the age of 10 to years, when this first set starts falling off naturally to make way the permanent set of 32 teeth, which are meant to last a life time. The primary set is much more fragile though and are likely to start decaying as soon as they erupt if not cared for properly. The responsibility of taking care of an infant’s teeth lies with the parents.

Tooth decay at this young age is also caused by the same sugars that spoil teeth among older children. Infants consume juices, formula and other sugary liquids through baby bottles. The sugar gradually coats the child’s teeth and starts breaking down the enamel that protects the teeth from decay. Once the enamel is eroded, the teeth become vulnerable to attacks by germs which erode the calcium that forms the teeth, leading to cavities.

To prevent tooth decay amongst infants, parents can follow simple steps. Of course, infant teeth have to be carefully brushed well no matter how tiny they are! It is also a good practice to rinse the infant’s mouth thoroughly with water after every meal to prevent sugars from depositing in the teeth. Infants should not be allowed to fall asleep with their baby bottles in their mouth. This prolongs the exposure to teeth to sugars as the liquid flows directly over the teeth and stays there till whenever the child wakes up. Parents should try to ensure their infant’s mouth remains clear of sugars as far as possible.