Brush All the Teeth You Want to Keep
Written by: Catherine O'Neill Grace
Special to the Washington Post
Date:_____________________

How many times a week do you hear this question? "Have you brushed your teeth?" You probably hear it before you switch off your light to go to sleep at night. You hear it again as you head out the door for school after breakfast. On weekends, you may hear it after you eat lunch. Your dentist may ask too.

What's your answer? If you answer "Yes" you're on your way to having healthy teeth! According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, a national organization of dentists who specialize in treating kids, there are three basic steps to good dental care:

If you lick a piece of hard candy every few minutes to make it last, or slowly sip a sugary drink while you are doing your homework, the acid bath in your mouth keeps working on your teeth even longer.

Better snacks, dentists say, are vegetables, cheese, yogurt, peanut butter and milk. Chips, candy and soda don't go on the healthful snack list.

Another way to keep your teeth strong is to expose them to a substance called fluoride. Fluoride is added to public drinking water in many parts of the country to help prevent cavities. It's also in toothpaste. And dentists can apply fluoride when you go in for a visit.

What are cavities, anyway? They're holes in your teeth caused by the acid produced by the bacteria in your mouth. Then more bacteria gets inside your teeth and causes tooth decay. To prevent the bacteria from eating your tooth away, the dentist drills the decay out and then fills the hole back up with hard material.

When your grandparents were kids, cavities were pretty much a fact of life. Your parents probably got cavities when they were kids too. But that has been changing.

"Thanks to fluoride, improved dental techniques and oral care products, better hygiene and nutrition, and greater public awareness, it's entirely possible to eliminate cavities in the next generation," says Marvin H. Berman, a pediatric dentist in Chicago.

Another way to prevent cavities is to apply sealants to the back teeth, or molars, where four out of five cavities occur. Why so many cavities back there? Because the deep hills and valleys on the back teeth are difficult to get clean, even with regular brushing and flossing.

Sealants are made of clear or shaded plastic. A dentist applies them to the chewing surfaces of back teeth to protect them.

There are a couple more things you can do to keep your teeth strong and healthy. When you play a contact sport, wear a mouth guard-always. And make regular visits to the dentist part of your health care routine.

• Find the tooth. Rinse gently in cool water. Do not scrub or use soap.
• Replace the tooth in the socket and hold it there with clean gauze or a wash cloth. (If you can't put the tooth back in the socket, place the tooth in a clean container with milk and water.)
• Take the child and the tooth to a dental office immediately. (Call the emergency number if it is after hours.)