Nine Negative Effects Divorce Reportedly Has On Children

Nine Negative Effects Divorce Reportedly Has On Children — Divorce can be the first in a string of dominos that knock a kid down — and keep him there

Divorce is hardly an exception anymore. In fact, with the rate of marriage steadily dipping over the past decade, and the divorce rate holding steady, you are likely to know more previously married couples than those who are legally bound. Accompanying this trend are multiple studies analyzing the effects that divorce has on children. And the results aren't good, even if the stigma of divorce has faded. Here, 9 negative effects divorce reportedly has on children:

1. Smoking habits

In a study published in the March 2013 edition of Public Health, researchers at the University of Toronto found that both sons and daughters of divorced families are significantly more likely to begin smoking than peers whose parents are married. In an analysis of 19,000 Americans, men whose parents divorced before they turned 18 had 48 percent higher odds of smoking than men with intact families. Women had 39 percent higher odds of picking up the habit. Lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson called the link "very disturbing."

2. Ritalin use

Dr. Strohschein, a sociologist at the University of Alberta, wanted to know what was behind the increase in children prescriptions for Ritalin over the past two decades. And so, in 2007, she analyzed data from a survey that was conducted between 1994 and 2000. In it, 5,000 children who did not use Ritalin, and were living in two-parent households, were interviewed. Over the six years, 13.2 percent of those kids experienced divorce. Of those children, 6.6 percent used Ritalin. Of the children living in intact households, 3.3 percent used Ritalin. Strohschein suggests that stress from the divorce could have altered the children's mental health, and caused a dependence on Ritalin.

3. Poor math and social skills

A 2011 study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that children of divorced parents often fall behind their classmates in math and social skills, and are more likely to suffer anxiety, stress, and low self-esteem. The reason that math skills are affected is likely because learning math is cumulative. "If I do not understand that one plus one is two," lead researcher Hyun Sik Kim says, "then I cannot understand multiplication." Kim says it is unlikely that children of divorce will be able to catch up with their peers who live in more stable families.

4. Susceptibility to sickness

In 1990, Jane Mauldon of the University of California at Berkeley found that children of divorce run a 35 percent risk of developing health problems, compared with a 26 percent risk among all children. Mauldon suggests their susceptibility to illness is likely due to "very significant stress" as their lives change dramatically. Divorce can also reduce the availability of health insurance, and may lead to a loss of certain factors that contribute to good health, including constant adult supervision and a safe environment. The risk of health problems is higher than average during the first four years after a family separation, but, curiously, can actually increase in the years following.

5. An increased likelihood of dropping out of school

A 2010 study found that more than 78 percent of children in two-parent households graduated from high school by the age of 20. However, only 60 percent of those who went through a big family change — including divorce, death, or remarriage — graduated in the same amount of time. The younger a child is during the divorce, the more he or she may be affected. Also, the more change children are forced to go through, like a divorce followed by a remarriage, the more difficulty they may have finishing school.

6. A propensity for crime

In 2009, the law firm Mishcon de Reya polled 2,000 people who had experienced divorce as a child in the preceding 20 years. And the results did not paint a positive picture of their experiences. The subjects reported witnessing aggression (42 percent), were forced to comfort an upset parent (49 percent), and had to lie for one or the other (24 percent). The outcome was one in 10 turned to crime, and 8 percent considered suicide.

7. Higher risk of stroke

In 2010, researchers from the University of Toronto found a strong link between divorce and adult risk of stroke. However, the vast majority of adults whose parents divorced did not have strokes. "Let's make sure we don't have mass panic," said lead researcher Esme Fuller-Thompson. "We don't know divorce causes stroke, we just know this association exists." She says the relationship could be due to exposure to stress, which can change a child's physiology. She also noted that the time at which these children experienced divorce was in the 1950s, when it wasn't as socially accepted as it is today.

8. Greater chance of getting divorced

University of Utah research Nicholas H. Wolfinger in 2005 released a study showing that children of divorce are more likely to divorce as adults. Despite aspiring to stable relationships, children of divorce are more likely to marry as teens, as well as marry someone who also comes from a divorced family. Wolfinger's research suggests that couples in which one spouse has divorced parents may be up to twice as likely to divorce. If both partners experienced divorce as children they are three times more likely to divorce themselves. Wolfinger said one of the reasons is that children from unstable families are more likely to marry young.

9. An early death

And rounding out the dreary research is an eight-decade study and book called The Longevity Project by Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin. Starting in 1921, researchers tracked some 1,500 boys and girls throughout their lives. More than one-third of the participants experienced either parental divorce or the death of a parent before the age of 21. But it was only the children of divorced families who died on average almost five years earlier than children whose parents did not divorce. The deaths were from causes both natural and unnatural, but men were more likely to die of accidents or violence. Generally, divorce lowered the standard of living for the children, which made a particular difference in the life longevity of women. ( The Week )

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How do I know if my child has myopia?

How do I know if my child has myopia? - Does your child often strain to look at things around him?

If yes, then your child could possibly be suffering from myopia, or short-sightedness. Myopia in Singapore is extremely common. In fact, the sunny island has one of the highest rates of childhood myopia.

Most people call myopia “shortsightedness”. What exactly is myopia?

What most laymen term “myopia” or “shortsightedness” is a condition where the eyeball is longer than normal. That is to say, light rays from distant objects are focused in front of the retina, rather than on the retina, thus resulting in a blurry image. In this condition, objects a short distance away are seen more clearly as the image is focused nearer to the retina, hence, the term – “shortsightedness”.

What are the primary causes of myopia?

The exact cause is not known for sure. The current perception is that myopia occurs because of environmental factors acting on genetically predisposed eyes.

Evidence for environmental factors:

• Studies in Hong Kong, Xiamen and Singapore have shown that children who spend most of their time reading and writing in primary school have a higher incidence of myopia.
• Myopia became more common among Eskimo children after the introduction of Western education.
• Premature children with low birth weight tend to have higher incidences of myopia.
• Myopia can be induced in various animals such as monkeys, chickens and tree shrews by degrading the image seen in the eye e.g. putting a translucent occluder over the eye.
• Children with glaucoma and uncontrolled eyeball pressure develop myopia.

Evidence for genetic factors:

• Closer degrees of myopia in identical twins compared to fraternal twins.
• Severe myopia often runs in families.
• Chances of myopia in children are higher if both parents are myopic compared to if only one parent suffers from the condition.
• More common in Chinese, less common in Afro-Carribeans.
• Some genetic diseases are associated with myopia.

It seems to be very prevalent amongst young children. Is there a reason why?

It is not very prevalent in young children compared to older children. However, its prevalence in younger children may be rising possibly due to increased amounts of “nearwork” activity that young children indulge in these days, such as computer/handheld games or schoolwork.

At what age does it begin?

It can begin at any age, even in infants. It usually begins at school-going age.

How do I know if my child has myopia?

Symptoms of myopia in children include:

• Straining/squinting the eyes to look at far objects.
• Holding things close to the eye.
• Turning the face sideways to look at objects.
• Cannot see writing on a whiteboard.

Does it get worse over time? Can its progression be controlled?

In children, it tends to increase in power or worsen till the child is in his teenage years.

Can myopia be cured completely?

No. Myopia is in vast majority of cases due to an eyeball that is too long. This structural abnormality cannot be corrected by any means with current knowledge. Simply put, a long eyeball cannot be made to shrink to normal size.

What are the current treatment methods available for myopia?

Myopia can be corrected with spectacles (safest method), contact lenses or refractive surgery (surgery only meant for adults with stable myopia).

Refractive surgery reshapes the normal front part of the eye (cornea) so that light rays are focused on the retina, but it does not cure the underlying problem, which is an eyeball that is too long.

After surgery, the eyeball is still long and potential problems with myopia (e.g. macular degeneration, retinal tear or detachment) are still present. Another surgical method for very high degrees of myopia is to implant intraocular lenses within the eye to correct the myopia.

This involves surgery inside the eye with its attendant risk of inflammation inside the eye, eye infection and damage to internal eye structures.

A lens implant is not recommended for most patients. To prevent myopia from worsening or to slow down the increase in myopia, the only evidence-based medical treatment to date that is shown to be effective is the use of atropine eye-drops or pirenzepine eye gel.

Atropine eye-drops are effective in about 70 percent of children. Pirenzepine is less effective and is not commercially available.

Atropine eye-drops have side effects such as blurring of near vision and light sensitivity (due to dilation of the pupil), which may require the use of photochromatic glasses.

The eye-drops must also be used daily for years. The long term side-effects of atropine treatment in children are not completely known.

The eye-drops are thus recommended only for children with rapidly progressing or high degrees of myopia.

There is no good scientific evidence that progressive addition (multifocal) glasses, bifocal glasses, under-corrected glasses or contact lenses are effective in preventing myopia progression.

How can myopia be prevented?

Until today there is no proven method to prevent myopia. Possible preventive measures include:

• Ensure good lighting when doing “nearwork”.
• Take vision breaks of 5-10 minutes after every 30-45 minutes of work.
• Hold reading/writing material at a minimum of 1 foot away from eyes.
• Sit about 50 centimeters from the computer.
• Do not read lying down.
• Go to sleep early.
• Engage in healthy, daily outdoor activities.
• Avoid reading materials with small font or faded print, as more effort is needed to focus on the words, resulting in eyestrain. ( thejakartapost.com )
  

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When parents should get involved in kids' issues

When parents should get involved in kids' issues -- Here is expert advice on common parenting situations, so you'll know when to meddle and when to stay mum.

1. Your child has an unreasonable amount of homework.

Should you butt in? Not until you've done some serious reconnaissance work. "Make sure your child is legitimately spending time working," not playing with the dog or daydreaming, says Jan Busey, an elementary-school teacher for nine years in Asheville, North Carolina. If that's not the case, make an appointment with the teacher.

How to handle it: Come prepared. Before the meeting, keep track of your child's progress. "Set goals for your child to complete an assignment, then assess at the end of that time," says Busey. "And write down specific challenges. The more you can show that you've tried to deal with the issue at home, the more receptive a teacher will be to your concerns."

When to reconsider: If your help in organizing tasks seems to speed things up and ease stress, the answer may be structure, not a teacher conference.

2. Another adult lectures your child.

Should you butt in? If the conversation is an attempt to keep your child safe (he's climbing up the slide the wrong way), let the other parent finish.

How to handle it: Be present and reinforce what the parent was saying so your child understands that it's not OK with you, either. "Stopping others from disciplining your child lets him think he can behave badly when out of your sight," says etiquette authority Jodi R. R. Smith.

When to reconsider: If the adult is speaking to your child more strongly than is necessary, you can politely cut him off. "Introduce yourself as the parent, then say that you'll take it from there," says Stacy DeBroff, author of "The Mom Book."

3. Your child didn't get invited to a big birthday party.

Should you butt in? No. Making an issue about the slight will probably make things worse and draw attention to the fact that your child was left out.

How to handle it: Instead, focus on comforting your child and planning something fun as a diversion on the big day. Down the road, if this happens more than once, consider enrolling your child in a class or a program outside of school. "He'll meet a new group of kids who share his interests," says Michele Borba, an educational psychologist in Palm Springs, California, and the author of "The Big Book of Parenting Solutions".

When to reconsider: You may want to talk to the teacher -- not the other child's parent -- to make sure there's not a larger issue between your child and the birthday boy. "Ask if there is some tension between this child and yours," says DeBroff. "If you find out that your child did do something mean, use this opportunity to show how his actions affect others."

4. Another kid is bullying your child on the playground.

Should you butt in? Not immediately, unless your child's safety is at stake. "If you're there, watch closely and give your child a chance to solve the problem on her own," says DeBroff. The same goes for school: It's better first to equip your child with skills to stay safe and empower her to resolve the situation on her own.

How to handle it: Rehearse ways for your child to respond. For example, if your child has a sense of humor, she can use a retort like "No, I'm not a baby, but thanks for asking," spoken in an assertive tone of voice. Otherwise, she can employ a strong "Cut it out" before walking away. "Have her practice standing up straight, chest out, like she's wearing a bulletproof vest that taunts bounce right off of," says Borba.

When to reconsider: If the bullying persists and your child feels threatened, get involved. If you are the one intervening on the playground, nonchalantly pull your child out of the situation (snack time!) before discussing it. Talking to her in front of the bully could be more embarrassing. If the bullying is at school, ask a teacher to keep an eye out. Most schools take bullying seriously -- 39 states have laws addressing it -- so teachers should have practices in place. To learn more, check out stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov, which has suggestions for both parents and kids.

5. A teacher gave your child a C, but he thinks he deserved an A.

Should you butt in? Intervene only if your child will take part in the conversation with the teacher. "If you believe your child's points are valid, say you'll make an appointment with the teacher but that he'll have to make the case," says Busey.

How to handle it: Have your child ask the teacher why she gave him the grade she did. "Hearing the feedback from the teacher will help him fine-tune future assignments," says Busey. Helping your child line up his arguments beforehand is a great way to teach him how to constructively approach a disagreement.

When to reconsider: If your child is prone to misreading or incorrectly copying down instructions, make sure you have the whole story before you jump to conclusions. A stellar report on blue whales is less so if the task was to write about smaller mammals of the sea.

6. Your child's coach sounds pretty harsh in practice.

Should you butt in? If it's upsetting your child, yes. But remember: Tough love can sometimes be beneficial on the field. "Some kids need more TLC, and others benefit from a little extra push," says Pat Summitt, the head coach of the University of Tennessee women's basketball team and the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history. Let the coach be the judge of what your kid needs. "It's good for a kid to hear a motivating voice other than her parent's," says Summitt.

How to handle it: With humility. Use a talk as a chance to learn something about your child, or help the coach to understand your child's personality better. Talk to the coach alone, and try not to be critical.

When to reconsider: If the coach's aggressiveness bothers only you and your child is thriving in practice, stay put in the bleachers.

7. Your child learned a not-so-nice word from a classmate.

Should you butt in? No. Tracking down the perpetrator's mother takes more effort than it's worth.

How to handle it: Just because you aren't trying to root out the foulmouthed preschooler doesn't mean you let the behavior slide. "I was actually glad when my children used those words -- at home, anyway," says Busey. "It gave me the chance to explain what they mean and how they make other people feel."

When to reconsider: If the bad word isn't a onetime thing and playing with a certain child always results in rule breaking. If your darling is also watching R-rated movies or playing violent video games at a friend's house, it's time to talk with the parents. Give them the benefit of the doubt; they may be in the dark about little Dirty Harry. Ask that they keep tabs on the activities; otherwise plan to host the kids at your house.

Moms (and Dads) Gone Wild

Teachers (names withheld to protect the innocent) tell stories of meddling parents taking things too far

• "I had one sixth-grade parent who would e-mail me the night before tests, asking for a copy of the test to 'help' her child."
• "One mother brought her child to school late every Friday so she would conveniently miss the math flash-card tests, which made the girl nervous."
• "A parent changed the relay order for a swim meet on my computer while I was out coaching. She wanted her kid to swim backstroke, not butterfly."
• "One father called me after an uninvited child showed up at his daughter's slumber party, asking me to penalize the student. I told him teachers don't police slumber parties." (Real Simple)

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Soft drink makers target children and teens

Soft drink makers target children and teens: study -- U.S. children and teenagers are seeing far more soda advertising than before, with blacks and Hispanics being major targets, as marketers have expanded online, a study released on Monday found.

The report, from the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, also found that many fruit drinks and energy drinks, popular with teenagers, have as much added sugar and calories as full-calorie soda.

Children's and teens' exposure to full-calorie soda ads on television doubled from 2008 to 2010, the report found, fueled by increases from Coca-Cola Co and Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.

Children were exposed to 22 percent fewer ads for PepsiCo Inc sugary drinks, it found.

Black children and teens saw 80 to 90 percent more ads than white children, including twice as many for the energy drink 5-Hour Energy and Coca-Cola's vitamin water and Sprite.

Over the same period, Hispanic children saw 49 percent more ads for sugary drinks and energy drinks on Spanish-language television, and Hispanic teens saw 99 percent more ads.

"Our children are being assaulted by these drinks that are high in sugar and low in nutrition," said Yale's Kelly Brownell, co-author of the report. "The companies are marketing them in highly aggressive ways."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 15 percent of children are overweight or obese. Children today are likely to have shorter life spans than their parents, which will affect their ability to work and pay taxes, while threatening to drive up healthcare costs.

When it comes to energy drinks such as Red Bull and Amp, the marketing is skewed toward young people, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics says highly caffeinated energy drinks are not appropriate for children and adolescents, the report said.

In 2010, teens saw 18 percent more TV ads, and heard 46 percent more radio ads for energy drinks than adults did.

Brownell, an outspoken critic of the food and beverage industries, said there has been a lot of research on the issue of marketing unhealthy food to children, especially since first lady Michelle Obama made fighting childhood obesity her signature issue.

But Monday's report is the first, he said, that analyzed data from several firms including Nielsen to measure the full picture of youth exposure to marketing and advertising.

Brownell said it was important to consider the online interaction children have with brands, especially since they tend to stay online for longer than they watch TV commercials.

The report found, for example, that 21 sugary drink brands had YouTube channels in 2010 with more than 229 million views by June 2011. Coca-Cola, it found, was the most popular brand on Facebook, with more than 30 million fans.

The most-visited websites operated by soft drink brands were MyCokeRewards.com and Capri Sun, which is owned by Kraft Foods Inc.

Other findings in the report include analysis of drinks themselves. For example, it said an 8-ounce (225-gram) serving of a full-calorie fruit drink has 110 calories and seven teaspoons of sugar -- the same amount found in an 8-ounce serving of a soda or energy drink. ( Reuters )

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The limited sway of cartoons

The limited sway of cartoons - Stickers of cartoon characters, such as Shrek and Scooby-Doo, can influence children to eat sugary snacks, but not healthier foods, a Yale study finds.

Children can be influenced to eat sugary snacks that carry stickers of cartoon characters such as Shrek, Scooby-Doo or Dora the Explorer, but not healthier foods like carrots with similar stickers, according to a new Yale University study.

Researchers at Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity asked children ages 4 to 6 which snacks they wanted: gummy fruit, graham crackers or carrots labeled with stickers of the cartoon characters, or identical snacks without the stickers. They also asked them which tasted better.

SpongeBob may advertise healthful carrots, but kids may be dubious. (Nickelodeon)

Most of the 40 children wanted the snacks labeled with cartoon stickers. Most also said the gummy fruit and graham crackers with the stickers tasted better, but not the carrots.

"We now have clear evidence of something many people suspected — that the use of these licensed characters has an impact on children's preferences in food," said Dr. Thomas Robinson, director of the Center for Healthy Weight at Stanford University School of Medicine.

At a time when a third of all children in the U.S. are overweight or obese, the study underscores both the power of advertising to influence young children and the ineffectiveness of using the same techniques to convince them to eat more nutritious foods, the researchers said.

The practice of labeling foods with toys, characters and celebrities aimed at children and teens grew 78% from 2006 to 2008, according to the Rudd Center, but only 18% of those foods met nutritional standards for children. About two-thirds of the promotions came from manufacturers who had pledged to limit marketing to children under the Council of Better Business Bureaus' Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative in 2006.

The new study was published in the June 21 issue of the journal Pediatrics. ( .latimes.com )

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What is teeth grinding?

What is teeth grinding?. Bruxism (teeth grinding) is a condition involving grinding or clenching of the teeth, often during sleep. Bruxism can be mild and occasional or can be so frequent or violent that the teeth are damaged.

What is the cause?

No one knows for certain why some children grind their teeth. Some think that it is because the child's top and bottom teeth do not fit together comfortably. This discomfort causes the child to grind his teeth to make the teeth feel better and later turns into a bad habit. Others believe that children grind their teeth because they feel tense, fearful, or angry. Still others suggest that children could have an allergy or a nutritional problem.

The cause in some cases is abnormal dental occlusion (the way the upper and lower teeth fit together when the person shuts the mouth). More often, the disorder is associated with anxiety, tension, and suppressed anger. Bruxism is usually worse after intake of alcohol.

What are the symptoms?

* Teeth grinding, severe or very loud, that occurs during sleep
jaw clenching
* Jaw pain or earache (referred pain caused by violent jaw muscle contractions)
* Abnormal alignment of teeth
* Anxiety, stress, and tension
* Personality, suppressing anger

How common is tooth grinding?

Dental examinations of children show that 1 in 6 children have done some tooth grinding. Also, some parents report the behaviour even though their child's teeth appear normal at the dentist. Altogether, 1 in every 3 children grind their teeth at some time in their childhood.

When does tooth grinding usually occur?

Almost all children that grind their teeth do it only at night. The behaviour is most common in children around the ages of 5 and 6; however, it can occur at any age. Grinding the teeth during the daytime should make parents more concerned than if the child is doing it only at night.

How is the diagnosis made?

Examination will rule out other disorders that may cause similar jaw pain or ear pain, including ear disorders such as otitis media, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, and dental disorders. Detailed history may reveal abnormal stress or tension.

What is the treatment?

The goal of treatment is to prevent permanent damage to the teeth and reduce pain.

A night guard or protective dental appliance may be helpful if bruxism is severe enough to cause damage to the teeth or pain to jaw muscles. Orthodontic adjustment of the occlusion or bite pattern may be beneficial for some people.

Psychotherapy or counselling may help the afflicted person to express anger and deal with anxiety or stress. Relaxation or stress management techniques can be beneficial in reducing anxiety or stress. Avoidance of alcohol may be advised for some people.

Will the child's teeth be harmed?

Usually the wear to teeth from grinding does not harm the teeth. The baby teeth (also called primary teeth) can show a lot of wear to their surfaces without causing pain or other problems. If the teeth get very worn down, dental problems, such as tooth infections, can occur.

What can I do to help my child?

If you or your child's dentist sees wear on the tooth surface, it is important to make a special visit to a paediatric dentist. Dentists can polish the teeth to make them fit together more comfortably or make special devices for the mouth that are usually worn at night to keep your child from wearing away the teeth.

It is a good idea to help a child talk about what has caused tension, fear, or anger before going to bed. Do this in the course of the bedtime routine. For example, when your child is telling you about his day, ask some questions about how those events made him feel. While this may or may not help the child with tooth grinding, it does let him know that you care about how he feels. It is probably best not to draw attention to the tooth grinding itself.

Most children will stop tooth grinding on their own without the need for special treatments. Mention tooth grinding to your child's dentist at your child's next regular appointment.

How to prevent it?

Stress reduction and anxiety management may reduce bruxism in persons prone to the condition.

What is the prognosis?

Bruxism is not a dangerous disorder. However, it can cause permanent damage to the teeth and uncomfortable jaw pain or ear pain. ( ndtv.com )

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What is scaling?

What is scaling?. Dental health is an important part of your general health. Whatever your age, you can and should have healthy teeth. Correct dental care can help you keep your teeth healthy for a lifetime. Scaling is one such procedure that keeps your gums healthy and firm. It is a procedure used to remove infected deposits like plaque, calculus and stains from the tooth surfaces. Such deposits, if not removed by scaling, cause infection and loosening of the gums, ultimately leading to pyorrhoea and tooth loss. Scaling is a safe and routine procedure and does not damage the tooth surface in any way. It must be done by a dental professional.

What is a plaque?

Dental plaque is a soft, sticky, colorless film of bacteria and food particles that constantly forms on the teeth. The bacteria colonize and multiply rapidly in this film and initiate infection in the gums, often resulting in tender bleeding gums. If dental plaque is not removed within 10-14 hours by brushing, it mineralizes into calculus or tartar. Calculus once formed cannot be removed by brushing and has to be removed by scaling by a dentist.

Why is scaling done?

Regular tooth cleaning by the dentist is important to remove calculus or tartar that may develop even with careful brushing and flossing. Professional cleaning includes scaling and polishing. Scaling is a common non-surgical treatment for removal of infected deposits - tartar or calculus - from the tooth surface. These deposits if not removed lead to periodontal disease. In periodontal disease, the pocket between the tooth and gum begins to deepen. This provides a perfect environment for anaerobic bacteria to grow. The bacteria begin to multiply rapidly and infect more of the gum and start dissolving the bone supporting the tooth. This leaves the tooth progressively loose. The treatment now becomes more extensive and complicated in order to save the tooth. Surgery of the gums is required in order to make the tissues around the tooth healthy.

How frequently should scaling be done?

Plaque formation on the teeth is a continuous process. If this is not removed by brushing it starts mineralizing into tartar within 10-14 hours. Such persons may require periodic scaling, every 6 months or so. The golden rule is to have a routine dental check up every 6 months. Your dentist will be able to advise you whether you need scaling or not. He will also advise you on the correct home care for healthy teeth. It must be emphasized again that scaling of teeth does not weaken them but prevents gum diseases which bring about bleeding gums and if not checked leading to more serious and extensive gum problems.

What is the outcome?

Good oral hygiene prevents, and is vital to the treatment of many of the dental and oral disorders. Good oral hygiene results in a healthy mouth. Moreover, the mouth is the gateway to the whole body. a healthy mouth ensures a healthy body to a great extent. ( ndtv.com )

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What is teething?

What is teething?. Teething is the phase during infancy and early childhood when children get their first set of teeth known as primary teeth or milk teeth. Teething normally begins between 6th and the 8th month, but the age at which an infant begins to get teeth may vary. Sometimes infants are born with erupted teeth, but these are often abnormal and fall out.

Tooth eruption occurs periodically until all 20 primary teeth are in place. This normally ends by the 30th month of life. These teeth include 4 incisors, 2 canines, and 4 molars in each jaw for the total of 20. The 2 lower incisors usually erupt first followed by the upper incisors, lower molar, upper molar, lower canine, upper canine, lower lateral molar and, finally, the upper lateral molar.

What are the signs and symptoms?

The signs of teething are:

• Excess saliva secretion
• Mild discomfort
• Irritability
• Sleeping problems
• Refusing food
• Biting on hard objects
• Low grade fever

The discomfort during teething is due to the pressure exerted on the tissue in the mouth, called the periodontal membrane, as the teeth erupt.
What should be done?

Some teeth come through without any problem, while in other cases, the gum may be red and sore. A child may be irritable, uncomfortable and may show one or more of the symptoms mentioned above. This discomfort may be eased by a cool object such as a frozen teething ring, an ice-cold wash-cloth, or a cold apple. It can also be helpful to give the child something hard to chew like a teething ring or an unsweetened teething biscuit.

Caring for the child’s teeth:

• Start brushing as soon as teeth appear
• Brush thoroughly twice a day, especially before bed
• Help the child brush until he is able to do it well on his own
• Use tooth paste that is low in fluoride as children tend to swallow it and also encourage them to spit well
• Reduce the child’s sugar intake
• Stop Bottle feeding as early as possible - by 12 to 15 months. Stop night time milk feeding as soon as several teeth appear - as night time (pre-bed time) feeds cause increased tooth decay.

What to avoid?

The gums should not be rubbed or cut to facilitate the eruption of teeth because this can result in infections. Teething powders and aspirin should also be avoided. Oral teething pain relievers that are rubbed on the infant’s gums are not of much help, since the excess saliva in the mouth quickly washes the medicine away. ( ndtv.com )

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