What You Don’t Know About Your Child’s Little Teeth Could be Hurting Them – Interview

February: National Children’s Dental Health Month!

Yes – it’s true, baby teeth will eventually fall out – BUT – it’s important to treat cavities and keep your child’s baby teeth in good shape, because they are the foundation for a healthy mouth. It’s especially important because tooth decay remains a top chronic infectious disease among kids. Nearly one in three children ages two to five years old in the U.S. are affected by tooth decay.

Potential Problems:

· Baby Bottle Tooth Decay: Frequent, prolonged exposure of a baby’s teeth to drinks that contain sugar when the baby is put to bed with a bottle.

· Pacifier Overuse: This may cause an increased risk of cavities in teeth and affect your child’s bite.

· Topical Teething Gels: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) strongly warns against using teething gels that contain benzocaine or lidocaine because it can seriously harm your child. 2

· Sports drinks: Most contain sugar that can contribute to tooth decay.

During National Children’s Dental Health Month in February, the AAPD wants to arm parents and caregivers with the important tools and information they need to help fight tooth decay for their children. The AAPD has recognized a troubling gap between parental knowledge and action for their kids.

Join Dr. Jade Miller, AAPD President, in an interview as he shares a variety of important ways parents can both recognize potential problems for their children’s oral health and outline the actions they can take to prevent any issues including:

*IS THERE A GAP BETWEEN PARENTAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT KIDS’ DENTAL ISSUES AND ACTION?

*WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PRIMARY CULPRITS IN CHILDHOOD TOOTH DECAY AND ORAL HEALTH ISSUES?

*WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF TOOTH DECAY IN YOUNG CHILDREN?

*WHERE CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT GOOD ORAL HEALTH FOR CHILDREN?

See entire interview here:

Jade Miller DDS Bio:

Dr. Jade Miller is the current President of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. He has maintained a private practice in pediatric dentistry since 1983 in Reno, Nevada USA. He is married and is proud father of 3 children and 2 grandchildren. Besides maintaining a full-time dental practice Dr. Miller has many other involvements outside of his dental practice.

-Within Organized Dentistry- Past Delegate to the American Dental Association; ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure Representative. Chairman, Committee on Anesthesiology; Chairman of Continuing Education Recognition Process (CERP) Committee; ADA Advisory Committee on Evidence-Based Dentistry; Past President, Nevada Dental Association and Northern Nevada Dental Society;

-Within Governmental Agencies: Chairman, Nevada State Board of Health; President, Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners; Nevada Trust Fund for Public Health; Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners, Examiner, Sedation Examiner and Disciplinary Officer; Medical Advisory Committee State of Nevada Medicaid.

-Certifications, Awards and Honors: Board Certified in Pediatric Dentistry; American College of Dentist; International College of Dentist; Academy of Dentistry International; Pierre Fauchard Academy;

-Academic appointments: Faculty, University of Nevada, School of Medicine-Cranial Facial Anomaly Team; Faculty, University of the Pacific, Arthur Dugoni School of Dentistry; Faculty, University of Washington School of Dentistry.

For more information, go to www.aapd.org or www.mychildrensteeth.org.

Interview courtesy: Nonprofit AAPD