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The main factors in maintaining healthy teeth are proper hygiene and foods low in sugar and fat, along with regular visits to the dentist.
Iquique, February 28, 2024. In Chile, according to data from the Ministry of Health, more than 70% of children over 6 years old have cavities. Facing the start of a new school year, many parents worry about the meals their children will receive at school and the dental care habits they will have outside the home.
Oral wellness care goes beyond having a beautiful smile; It is a comprehensive health issue and is also related to self-esteem and communication. “For this reason, it is advisable to have periodic check-ups with specialists, especially important in the case of children whose teeth are forming”, says Patricia Cuevas, pediatric dentist at Clínica Tarapacá.
What foods to choose
Regarding meals, it is known that foods with a high sugar content, the desired sweets, are enemies of the teeth. So are those high in saturated fat: junk food. Everything the little ones like at home.
“It is not about complete restriction, but about balancing and avoiding excesses. It is recommended that, both in the snacks and in the lunches brought by the children, privilege fresh foods, such as fruits and vegetables, of different colors and low-fat proteins, such as white meat. Egg is also an excellent option,” says Dr. Patricia Cuevas. Meanwhile, for appetizers, it is advisable to add dairy products and sugar-free nuts.
The pediatric dentist at Clínica Tarapacá adds that I hope sweets are not mixed with sugary liquids and special attention is paid to seals and labeling of foods. “Of course, it’s also essential to brush your teeth after meals, using fluoride toothpaste and avoid consuming sugars between meals,” he says.
The training that the family has provided is crucial for the behavior that will be shown at school: a place where they can choose what kind of food to consume and what behaviors to follow in relation to oral hygiene, comments the doctor: “Children who eat. healthy foods with little sugar and brushing their teeth after every meal is a reflection of a home where they are taught to take care of their teeth,” he adds.
Urgent consultations
In addition to periodic visits to maintain oral health, many families are also consulted for pediatric dental emergencies. The most common ones are due to pain and are generally caused by cavities that are “doing their thing” in the teeth of the little ones.
According to pediatric dentist Patricia Cuevas, consultations due to trauma or shock are also common, situations where it is recommended to wash the affected area, try to stop the bleeding with a sterile gauze and go to the emergency room.
“As always, prevention is better than cure”, concludes the specialist: “Maintaining sufficient oral health, avoiding foods that damage the teeth and taking care of hygiene, will help to avoid the most common oral diseases, while visiting periodically to the specialist will allow any risk situation to be controlled in time”.
About the Tarapacá clinic
Clínica Tarapacá, part of RedInterclínica, is the most modern medical center in the northern part of the country and the main alternative for quality care and high standards in the first region. Its mission is to give the vast majority of the population access to a private health service, characterized by its reliability and warmth. For this, it offers services of Emergency, Hospitalization, Medical Center, Maternity, Telemedicine and Examination Unit with equipment for assessments with advanced technology. It has 112 doctors on its staff and 6 wards, 11 UPC/ICU beds, 52 hospital beds and 54 care boxes in its infrastructure. More information at https://clinicatarapaca.cl/
About Interclinic
Interclinica is a national network of medical clinics whose objective is to provide a reliable and warm private health service to the vast majority of the population. In recent years it has managed to consolidate the operation of its four health care facilities: Clínica Tarapacá (Tarapacá Region), Clínica Nueva Cordillera (Metropolitan Region), Clínica Los Carrera and Clínica Los Leones (Both in the Valparaíso region). Recently, the San José Clinic was added to the Arica and Parinacota region. After that, his aim is to create a network of clinics in the most populated regions of the country, to become the best private alternative for beneficiaries of the middle and lower middle sectors of the National Health Fund (FONASA) and private health insurance (ISAPRES). . More information at https://interclinica.cl/
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