How should we eat for our dental health?
Food substances that are considered harmful for dental health are sugary and acidic foods and substances that stick to the teeth and cannot be easily cleaned. It is necessary not to cut them completely, but to consume them in a certain order to prevent dental caries.

Recommended diet for dental health;
* Sugary, sticky or acidic foods should be consumed within three main meals.
* Between meals, foods such as apples and carrots that will clean hard teeth and massage the gums should be eaten.
* If it is not possible to brush the teeth after eating sugary, sticky food, the mouth should be rinsed with water or a glass of water should be drunk.
* Again, a piece of cheese to be thrown into the mouth after eating sugary food is extremely important in terms of eliminating the caries preventive effect of sugar.

Is tooth decay more common than before?
Yes. Especially in developing countries like ours, tooth decay is more common than in the past. This is due to changes in eating habits. Since ancient people were fed with hard foods, a natural cleaning of the teeth was provided. Today, with the development of the ready-made food industry, the consumption of such foods has increased. Since these foodstuffs, such as biscuits, candy, chocolate and cola, are always at hand, they are considered to be the main culprits of the increase in dental caries, since they are substances that stick to the teeth and form acid.

Which foodstuffs can be considered as tooth-friendly?
Proteins are the leading foodstuffs that are considered tooth-friendly. These substances, which form the basic building blocks of our body, are foods that must be consumed both during the development of teeth and after teeth eruption, in terms of dental health.
In addition to its high protein content, cheese is a highly recommended food, especially after consumption of sugary food, in terms of its importance in dental health.
Peanut is also a tooth-friendly food among snack-type foods due to the phosphate it contains.
Unrefined cereals (wholegrain brown bread instead of white flour bread) should be preferred for dental health.

My baby's teeth rotted as soon as they erupted. What could be the reason?
Sometimes, it is observed that brown spots appear on the teeth as soon as they erupt, or that these teeth break and fall out. In fact, these stains are dental caries and teeth are broken due to caries. The reason for the formation of caries in such an early period is the caries called bottle caries. Breast milk or cow's milk, which is the most important nutrient in infant nutrition, naturally contains sugar. If the baby sucks breast milk or a bottle before going to bed at night or during sleep, milk accumulates in the mouth and creates a favorable environment for microbes to rot the teeth. For this reason, care should be taken to clean the teeth, especially after night feeding.

What should be done to prevent bottle rot?
As the treatment of cavities in babies is very difficult, preventive measures should be taken in the early period.

What are they?
• Prevent your baby's habit of sleeping with a bottle in his mouth at night. Try to sleep after feeding.
• Do not add sweeteners such as sugar, honey and molasses to the milk in the bottle.
• Make sure to drink water after the baby is fed.
• After the first teeth start to erupt, wipe their teeth with a clean, wet cheesecloth after night and morning feedings.

What is the importance of bottle caries? If teeth with bottle caries are not treated, they cause pain and become inflamed. Inflamed or aching teeth cause the baby to become restless and disrupt the diet. Inflammation also affects the permanent teeth that will come from below, causing them to become distorted. If these teeth have to be extracted, speech problems may occur in the child.

Why my baby's teeth are rotten even though the bottle is not sucking?
In addition to the bottle, giving pacifiers dipped in sweeteners such as honey, molasses and jam to silence crying babies is another cause of bottle bruises. In addition, carbohydrate-sugar foods given to the baby to linger after the teeth erupt also cause tooth decay. Instead of such foods, the child should have high nutritional value such as apples and carrots; It is necessary to direct it to foods that help teeth cleaning.

The ideal time for this is six months after the baby's first teeth come out. Problems with your child's teeth may begin at a very early age. In this period, it will be possible to prevent the problems that will arise by getting information about the baby's nutrition, dental care and sucking habits.

FIRST DENTAL EXAMINATION
Meeting the dentist before your child has cavities and pain and making routine 'chat and control' visits is of great importance in terms of preventing the transmission of dental fear in the society to children.

How can I prepare my child and myself for the first examination?
It would be the best method to get information about the procedure before taking your child to the dentist. In general, applying to the dentist before the formation of very large cavities in the teeth and severe pain begins makes the treatment easier for both the child and the doctor. However, if the doctor has to give anesthesia to the child who is brought with the prejudice that "the doctor will not give an injection", the child will not trust both you and the doctor. For this reason, it will be important to inform the child correctly about the treatment, to overcome his fear and gain his trust.

Why do children fear the dentist? What are the precautions to be taken?
If you tell your child that dental treatment is nothing to be afraid of, you can easily take him to the dentist. Usually, however, Parents say, "If you don't behave, I'll take you to the dentist, and he'll pull out a good tooth!" In his words, he transforms the concept of dentist into an element of fear.

Therefore:
1) Taking the child to the dentist should not be a punishment. On the contrary, an environment should be created for the child to go to the dentist with pleasure.
2) Another issue to be considered is not to evoke an association between going to the dentist and the pain event that the child will be exposed to. However, to mislead the child by saying "Your tooth will never hurt"; makes future treatments more difficult.
3) Having a good dialogue with the dentist is a factor that helps the child overcome his fear. For this, let the child answer the questions asked by the dentist himself.

As soon as the first teeth appear in the mouth, cleaning should begin. Using a clean cheesecloth or gauze; Teeth should be cleaned by wiping after breakfast in the morning and before going to bed at night. Toothbrush use can be started after the baby's back teeth have erupted.

What is the best technique for brushing?
It is very difficult to recommend and apply a technique for brushing teeth in preschool children. The important thing at this age is to give the child the habit of brushing teeth. When brushing, children often brush the visible or easily accessible surfaces of the teeth. However, microbes accumulate more easily on the interfaces of the teeth or on the chewing surfaces. For this reason, parental control is essential after brushing.

In school-age children, it is recommended to place the brush at the junction of the teeth and gums with an inclination of 45° and rotate the visible surfaces of the teeth, and then brush the chewing surfaces of the teeth with back and forth movements.

Which toothbrush should I choose for my child?
Toothbrushes made of soft and nylon bristles suitable for the child's mouth size should be used. Hard brushes are not suitable for use as they will abrade the teeth. Just as you can't sweep with an old broom, you can't brush your teeth with an old brush. Brush bristles should be replaced as soon as they are worn (approximately 6 months).

Which toothpaste and how much should be used in children?
The use of toothpaste is not recommended in infancy and children up to the age of three. Toothpaste use should be started after the age of three. However, as in advertisements, not half a finger, but as much as lentils squeezed on the brush will be enough for brushing. Any of the fluoride toothpastes available in the market can be preferred at the time the paste is used. It should not be forgotten that an effective brushing process is more important than paste in the brushing process.

How many times a day should I brush my child's teeth?
Only three minutes of effective brushing is sufficient in the morning before breakfast and before going to bed at night. Like many good habits, the habit of brushing teeth will be acquired during childhood.

What is dental caries?
Tooth decays are perceived as cavities that are mostly seen with dark colors. Although it is a preventable disease, there are very few people in the world who do not experience dental caries.

Why do teeth rot? Bacterial plaque consisting of bacteria in the mouth can form acid from the residues of sugary and floury foods in the mouth. These acids dissolve the mineral tissue of the teeth, causing the enamel of the tooth to deteriorate, resulting in the onset of dental caries and cavities that dentists call cavities.

Who has more cavities?
Since cavities occur as a result of the meeting of sugary and floury foods and bacteria, there is a danger for everyone. However, those who have high carbohydrate and sugary foods in their diets and those who have a very low fluoride content in their water are at a much higher risk of caries. Although saliva creates a natural defense mechanism against the acid created by the bacterial plaque, it cannot prevent caries by itself. Diseases or drugs that reduce the flow and amount of saliva also accelerate the formation of caries. For this reason, dentists often recommend sugar-free gums as they increase saliva flow.

Can tooth decay be prevented?

Yes.

1. Brushing your teeth after breakfast and before going to bed in the evening and using dental floss every day is the best solution. It is an effective way. Toothbrushes should be chosen with a small head, as food residues are mostly accumulated in the recesses of the chewing surfaces of the teeth and the interfaces where the teeth touch each other. The inner surfaces of the teeth, outer surfaces, chewing surfaces and the tongue should be brushed and dental floss should be used at the interfaces. Brushes should be of moderately hard or soft bristle and should be changed at regular intervals. The bristles of the brush should not be worn and should be stored in a way that does not carry bacteria. Never use someone else's toothbrush. The role of fluoride in preventing tooth decay should be exploited by using a fluoride toothpaste while brushing. Fluoride mouthwashes can also be used as an aid to fluoride pastes, which eliminate bad breath and give a feeling of freshness and cleanliness.

2. Trying to consume sugary foods in main meals and trying not to eat anything between meals is another precaution.

3. Visiting the dentist regularly is the best way to prevent or catch a caries early. In addition, in cases such as teeth sensitive to hot and cold or painful teeth or chalky initial caries, brown discolorations and cavities, applying to a physician without delay will change the form of treatment and reduce its difficulty.