We’re just over a month away from the biggest holiday of the year, Lunar New Year. While Lunar New Year is a time to greet parents and other elders in the family, it’s also a time for the whole family to gather and enjoy a variety of foods.
Tooth decay and tooth breakage are two things to be especially careful of during this time. This is because during the holidays, we tend to eat more sugary and fatty foods than usual, which can easily jeopardize our dental health.
Even kids who are usually careful about their diets because of their parents’ supervision are likely to overindulge in soda and sweets when visiting with grandparents.
In the United States, the holiday rush begins with Halloween in October, followed by Thanksgiving in November and Christmas in December. Thanksgiving is the biggest holiday of the year, with many people flying to reunite with far-flung family members, and it’s not uncommon for people to take two weeks or more off work during Christmas. Parties with sugary food and beverages like cake and soda are commonplace.
About 10 years ago, there was a comedy program called “Aejungnam”. He was a man who would decide ambiguous things, from the amount of a gift to the temperature of the bath water.
In the U.S., Professor Jeff Akisun, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, has been giving advice to children’s dental problems, such as ‘be careful of these foods’ and ‘take care of your teeth’.
On Halloween, children dress up in various costumes and go trick-or-treating at neighborhood homes. The adults in the neighborhood hand out candy to the children. The candy is placed in a pumpkin-shaped bin, which sometimes has to be emptied several times. Sometimes I get the giddy feeling that if my child eats all of this candy, he’s going to get a cavity.
Dr. Oksun began his advice with the “immutable truth” that eating a lot of sugary snacks increases the risk of tooth decay. This is because sugar consumption without proper oral hygiene leads to plaque buildup on the teeth, which dissolves the tooth enamel and eventually leads to cavities.
He also lists foods to watch out for. These include sugary sweets, candied nuts, and candy canes. Drinking a lot of acidic beverages, such as cider, can also lead to tooth decay. As for brushing, he recommends dividing your mouth into four quadrants and brushing for 30 seconds in each quadrant.
Flossing is also important. Flossing can clean hard-to-reach places like between teeth and under the gumline, says Dr. O’Keefe. It’s also a common place for cavities to form between teeth. “Both adults and children should floss at least once a day, ideally before bed,” he emphasizes.
However, no matter how thoroughly you brush your teeth, cavities can still occur. You should see a dentist if you have a toothache, if your teeth are sensitive to cold or heat, if your teeth are discolored, or if your gums are swollen.
When should I start taking my baby to the dentist?
According to the New York Times, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that babies see their first dentist within six months of their first tooth erupting, or before they turn one year old. After that, they should see a dentist every six months for regular checkups.
More than 12 percent of children aged 2 to 11 had cavities in their primary teeth from 2017 to 2020, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey, the paper said. Because baby teeth usually fall out when they change into permanent teeth, it’s easy to neglect them.
In response, pediatric dentist Judy Yip emphasized that untreated cavities can lead to tooth infections and can even harm permanent teeth, so treatment is necessary.
How much toothpaste should children use to brush their teeth? According to U.S. News & World Report, Dr. Jonathan Shenkin, former vice president of the American Dental Association, said in 2019 that he recommends using toothpaste with fluoride, but only a grain of rice-sized amount for babies 3 years old and younger.
For children ages 3 to 6, the recommendation is to use toothpaste the size of a pea. Flossing is recommended starting at two and a half years of age (two and a half years old), and parents should help, but be careful not to let their child bite their fingers.
However, flossing among children has yet to catch on. According to a survey by the Australian Dental Association released in July of this year, 76% of Australian children don’t floss. Many also believe that flossing is unnecessary while teething.
The Australian Dental Association recommends that children floss daily once two or more teeth start to come in next to each other. 61% of Australian families teach their children to floss when they’re between 6 and 13 years old.
In fact, in the U.S., museums and science centers are often set up with giant models of teeth that children can brush in order to educate them about dental health.
Of course, in Korea, where you can get quality dental care on the same day at a low health insurance rate, frequent checkups are not a big deal, but it’s worth remembering the advice of experts to start good habits at an early age to ensure a hundred years of good health.
Writer. Hyuntaek Lee
A former newspaper journalist who worked for 18 years at JoongAng Ilbo, and Chosun Ilbo. he is currently working as a freelance contributor and planning the second act of his life. In addition to journalism, he has worked in broadcast public relations and marketing at JTBC and Edelman Global Advisory in the United States. He is the recipient of a U.S. State Department Fulbright Humphrey Fellowship and a Google Asia-Pacific Newsroom Leadership Fellow.
