AMARILLO, TEXAS -- February is National Children's Dental Health Month. The American Academy of Pediatrics want parents to be aware of ways of preventing cavities. Pronews 7 spoke to Dr. Vinod Sethi. He is one of 10 members in the United States picked to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics on Oral Health in Children. Dr. Sethi says he stresses to parents that cavities are preventable and that there are several things they can do. For example, he suggests at 6 months that parents stop feeding their children breast milk, milk or juices at night, unless you take the time to brush their teeth afterward. Also, cut down on your child's sugar intake whether through juices or snacks. Next, to have their pediatrician apply a dental fluoride paint, which Dr. Sethi says cuts down on the number of cavities a child gets by 80%. He says that regular brushing and flossing will also cut back on the number of cavities.
"In addition to cutting down on their diet or modifying their diet and the application of the fluoride paint on the teeth, we urge our parents to please start going to the dentist for the children as early as 6 months of age," said Dr. Sethi, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center.
There's also a few myths about children's teeth that parents need to be aware of.
"Why worry about the baby teeth they're going to fall out anyways. Which is not true because once you have the cavities and cavities of the baby teeth, that goes on to develop into cavities into permanent teeth as well," Dr. Sethi.
Since Dr. Sethi is a member of the Advisory Committee of the AAP , he is asking that any physicians become certified in dental health by going to the Texas Department of Health's website. Click on the highlighted words for more information.
