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Dental Tips Early Childhood Cavities | ECC Includes baby bottle tooth decay, nursing caries, and rampant caries (caries being cavities, or the bacterial destruction of tooth). Reports suggest that up to 12% of preschool-age children are affected by ECC, while in some populations this rate is as high as 70%!! Children who experience ECC tend to remain high risk and to experience caries later on in both their primary (baby) and permanent teeth.
Despite a general reduction in dental caries in children and adolescents, ECC is a major health problem which continues to affect many pediatric patients. If your child has not had their teeth checked for ECC you should consult a dentist as soon as possible. |  |  | - After each feeding, wipe the baby's gums with a clean, damp washcloth or gauze pad. Begin brushing the child's teeth when the first tooth appears. Clean and massage gums in areas that remain toothless, and begin flossing when the baby teeth come in.
- Never allow your child to fall asleep with a bottle containing milk, formula, fruit juice or sweetened liquids. If your child needs a comforter between regular feedings, at night, or during naps, fill a bottle with cool water or give the child a clean pacifier. Never give your child a pacifier dipped in any sweet liquid and always avoid filling your child's bottle with liquids such as sugar water and soft drinks.
- If your local water supply does not contain fluoride, ask your dentist how your child should get it.
- Start dental visits by the child's first birthday. Make visits regularly. If you think your child has dental problems, take the child to the dentist as soon as possible.
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