Air Force Col. Gary Martin, DDS, MPH
Dental Care Division Director
TRICARE Management Activity

Teaching your child good oral hygiene is a lesson that will last a lifetime. If parents set a good example for their children - brushing and flossing properly, eating a healthy diet, and visiting their dentist regularly - children are more likely to develop their own good habits as they grow up.

“We've really tried to focus on the oral health of our 1 to 4 year olds,” said Air Force Col. Gary Martin, director of the TRICARE Management Activity's (TMA) Dental Care Division. “When young children experience significant dental disease, they often must be treated in an operating room under general anesthesia. That's a big expense,” Martin explained. “If we can get them to go to the dentist early, we can reduce the risk of extensive dental disease and costly treatment.”

“An easy way to prevent tooth decay in children,” Martin said, “is to take advantage of the TRICARE Dental Program's serv.ces.“As part of reducing the disease, we want to increase the utilization of the preventive services,” Martin said. “Two exams and two cleanings every year are free.”

With early and regular visits to the dentist, and by teaching your children good habits at a young age, parents can lessen the chance of their children needing surgery to restore diseased teeth.

To prevent early childhood cavities, Martin has some simple suggestions.

• Take your kids to the dentist by their first birthday or when their first tooth comes in. Baby teeth are smaller and have thinner enamel, so they are more susceptible to decay. Frequent visits to the dentist can keep your child's teeth strong.
• Don't let young children sleep with a bottle containing anything other than water and minimize infants' and toddlers' intake of sugary drinks, including fruit juices.
• Avoid using the same eating utensils as your children to prevent passing bacteria from your mouth to theirs. Your children aren't born with the bacteria that cause tooth decay to their teeth.
• And most important, encourage good oral hygiene habits in your children.

“We have active duty dentists working at the bases trying to get the word out that frequent visits to the dentist have other benefits as well. If you go regularly, even if you have a cavity, it can be caught early, treated, and you and your dentist can discuss how to prevent future problems,” Martin said.