It’s important to ensure that our child’s teeth are healthy and strong. There are many genetic and environmental factors that determine the health of the teeth. Although genetic or hereditary influences are not under our control, there are many things that we can contribute to our child’s healthy dentition.

Most of the parents who are unaware of the role of nutrition in pregnancy blame only their kids for having decayed teeth. They think that this happens only due to the habit of eating more sweets and improper brushing. Although the habit of eating more sweets and improper brushing can lead to decayed teeth, improper nutrition of mother in pregnancy also matters.

Your baby's teeth will not be visible at birth. But they already exist beneath the gums. We see them outside only at the time of the eruption. Children's primary teeth begin their formation about in the sixth week of pregnancy and start mineralizing around the third or fourth month of pregnancy, while the permanent teeth formation starts at the twelfth week of pregnancy.. So the care should begin at the very early stage of pregnancy. The process of formation, development, mineralization, and eruption of teeth continues throughout the childhood years.

The tooth germ (the basic substance of the tooth form) undergoes a series of developmental stages like calcification, crown formation, root formation etc at various stages of life. Building up of the bonelike inner tooth layer (called dentin) and the super-hard enamel layer (that covers it) is called mineralization. Many nutrients are essential for proper development at all these stages. Each primary(baby) tooth and the permanent tooth has its own time of formation, mineralization, and eruption. The deficiency of a particular nutrient at any stage of development would be reflected in the strength and appearance of the corresponding tooth.

Good nutrition from the mother during pregnancy and breastfeeding is important in tooth development. The mother's diet should have adequate amounts of all essential nutrients especially proteins, calcium, phosphorus, fluoride, vitamin A, C, and D for proper tooth development and maintenance. Deficiency of these nutrients will produce weak teeth which are easily attacked by cariogenic bacteria and thereby decaying of the teeth. A recent study has demonstrated that the children whose mothers received calcium supplementation when pregnant showed a significant reduction in dental caries.

Proper nutrition should be maintained throughout the pregnancy and breastfeeding by the mother. And the care should be continued by providing a healthy diet and developing oral hygiene habits in their children.

You can’t build a great building on a weak foundation. Likewise, nutrition in pregnancy has a vital role in laying the foundation for strong teeth in children. Thereby the chance of having decayed teeth reduces.

By

DR. SABNA K. P – BDS
Dental General Practitioner

 

 

 

Jabal Sina Medical Centre L.L.C
Delivering Healthcare That Works for You

Jabal Sina Medical Centre L.L.C is a flagship medical centre in Ajman from the founders of Ibinsina Medical Centre, an institution that has provided ambulatory healthcare for over 20 years. Having started in 1998, our founders brought substantial investment to create the first custom-built private hospital in the area and we pride ourselves on maintaining a philosophy of shared management with patients throughout the process. Operating mainly in primary care, this approach places the patient at the centre of the care cycle, with doctors, nurses and specialists working together to provide a service that addresses each patient's core individual needs. Our fully qualified team of professionals are committed to supporting you in your journey from sickness to health in a compassionate, caring and confident manner, taking care of all of your concerns and providing necessary referrals.