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The Teeth,
Gums, and Mouth
CHAPTER
17
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 (sugar
cane, candy, pastry, tea or coffee with sugar, soft
or fizzy drinks like colas) rots the teeth quickly.
“This child has
a sweet tooth—
but soon he’ll
have no more”
(no more teeth).
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.
Brush the teeth
from top to bottom
like this,
not just from side
to side.
Brush the front,
back, top, and
bottom of all teeth.
3. In areas where there is not enough natural fluoride in water and foods, putting
fluoride in the drinking water or directly on 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 needed.