Good dental health begins early

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Dental tips to keep kids' teeth healthy

Tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2-5 and half of those aged 12-15, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Obviously, it is important to start children with brushing and flossing early and creating a habit of brushing after sweets.

The Eco-Dentistry Association, an international association of dental professionals who use eco-friendly methods, offers these six tips for improving dental health while being mindful of environmental issues.

1. Teach your kids to turn off the water while they brush. This can save up to 90 glasses of water per day!

Health bills would mandate children's dental coverage

WASHINGTON -- Pediatric dental care, which has long been a concern of children's health advocates, would get a major boost from each of the pending national health overhaul proposals, as all call for expanding coverage.

"The silver lining of all this heated debate, for children at least, is that in almost every conversation, in every version of a bill, there's some provision for children's oral health," said Amir Moursi, chair of the department of pediatric dentistry at New York University's College of Dentistry.

Yet in a surprising twist, some insurance industry experts worry that the legislation may create unintended consequences and disruptions for adult and family dental coverage.

Ask Mr. Dad: Brush off brushing?

Dear Mr. Dad: My wife thinks we should be brushing our 2-year-old's teeth every night. But the nights I put our daughter to bed, she refuses to let me brush her teeth. Is it really necessary at this age? Isn't she going to lose these teeth in a few years anyway?

A: The quick answer is Yes and Yes. Yes, your daughter will lose her primary teeth (also called "baby teeth") - the first ones when she's around 6, the last ones by the time she's 13. And yes, even though they're in her mouth temporarily, it's important to take care of them while they're there. First of all, they'll help her adult teeth come in straight. Second, she needs those teeth as she learns to speak. And third, they'll help her chew her food properly. Baby teeth are just as susceptible to cavities as their adult mouthmates. And most dentists will tell you that tooth decay is an infection, one that can harm your child's overall health. Oh, and if you think getting her to brush her teeth is hard now, imagine how hard it'll be if she needs fillings

New chewing gum may help soldiers fight 'trench mouth'

With the help of a gum chomping machine and years of careful chemistry, University of Kentucky researchers have developed a chewing gum that can help replace toothpaste and a toothbrush, thus improving the health of soldiers in the field as well as children in poor countries.

Seriously. Gum.

In what is known around the UK College of Pharmacy by the ever-so-catchy title of "the military gum project," an antimicrobial, known as KSL, is infused in chewing gum. KSL is anti-adhesive and abrasive agent that disrupts and helps dissolve plaque.

Man's quest: the tooth, and nothing but the tooth

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CORRECTION

A front-page story Tuesday about a man suing his dentist incorrectly stated the length of time a person has to file a case in small claims court. North Carolina has a three-year statute of limitation for small claims court. The article also incorrectly stated what the man saved from his grandmother. He saved her gallstones.