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Why They Must Brush Their Teeth
We all have small bugs that live in our mouths; they cause us no harm at all until we get a bad or broken tooth, which becomes infected. For each of us this means a course of antibiotics and we’re fine but if you have Congenital Heart Disease it can be more serious.
The bugs that infect our mouths can get into the blood stream and attach to the areas in the heart where surgery has been performed. The bugs then grow and cause the heart to become infected; this is called sub acute bacterial endocarditis. If this should happen the only way to cure the infection is a 6-week course of intravenous antibiotics, if it goes untreated the children would become sicker and sicker.
The best thing is to try to prevent it happening: -
- All children should visit the dentist every 6 months.
- From the first signs of tooth growth children should brush (or have brushed) their teeth after every meal.
- Snacks should be healthy, fruit, cheese, milk and raw vegetables.
- Sweet drinks and sweets should be limited to immediately after meals just before the children clean their teeth.
- Children with heart disease also need extra protection if they are undergoing any dental treatment. The dentist with the general practitioner will prescribe antibiotics to be taken before the dentist does any work or if the mouth or teeth have been damaged in an accident, this ensures that any infection is killed off before it reaches the heart.
There is no need to give antibiotics when baby teeth fall out, as this is a natural process with no risk to the child.
If you have any further questions or worries about your child’s teeth, talk to your dentist or your cardiac liaison sister.
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