Children need strong, healthy teeth to chew their food, speak and have a good-looking smile. Pain and suffering due to untreated tooth and gum diseases can lead to problems in eating, speaking, and attending to learn. Baby teeth also keep a space in the jaw for the adult teeth. If a baby tooth is lost too early, the teeth beside it may drift into the empty space. When it’s time for the adult teeth to come in, there may not be enough room. This can make the teeth crooked or crowded. Good oral care can help protect children’s teeth for decades to come.
According to the American Dental Association, Early Childhood Caries (cavities) is an infectious disease defined as the presence of one or more decayed, missing (due to cavities) or filled tooth surfaces in any primary tooth in a preschool-age child between birth and 71 months of age (5 years and 11 months). The Association acknowledges that dental caries are the most prevalent chronic disease of childhood. More than 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental-related illness in the United States. (Surgeon General) For 2–4 year-olds, the prevalence of dental cavities in primary teeth has increased from approximately 18% to 24% between 1988–1994 and 1999–2004. According to the Centers of Disease Control, 49.8% of Arizona kindergarteners have untreated tooth decay. Baby bottle