Do syrups affect children’s teeth?

Dear doctor,
How do I prevent tooth decay in a toddler? What is the effect of taking syrups because this is the most easily accessible means of treating children?

As soon as the first baby teeth erupt in your child’s mouth, you should ensure to clean them after a meal. This can be very challenging but keep trying. Another way of keeping the baby teeth clean is encouraging the child to drink water after meals. Drinking water will also help clean the mouth after the child has taken a prescribed medicated syrup.

Dear doctor,
My daughter took a lot of antibiotics when she was still young due to a respiratory problem. As a result, they affected her teeth. She is now 13 years old. Can this be rectified?

Yes this can be rectified. At 13, it’s definitely not too late. Visit a dentist and you’ll be given a proper assessment of the situation.

Dear doctor,
My daughter is six years old. What happens to teeth that are supposed to come out, yet the others are growing? What should I do?

At six, your child will have a mixture of milk teeth and permanent teeth. But when the milk teeth delay to come out, the child may end up having malalligned permanent teeth. Make sure you visit your dentist as soon as you notice this.
Doctor, what do we do for babies with milk teeth that are decayed?

Depending on how badly decayed they are and how much time is left for that particular milk tooth to get a permanent replacement, a dentist will decide either to fill it or extract it.

Dental problems answered by
Dentist John Kimbe.