Pacifiers are a helpful friend for small children. But as they age, many parents find it hard to successfully wean their child off of the security of the pacifier. A lot of debate has gone on about the benefits and drawbacks of using pacifiers.

Here are the pros:

1. Pacifiers can aid in the prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The sucking action helps wake an infant from a deep sleep that could result in the stopping of respiration.

2. They provide comfort and pleasure to infants. Babies can find a lot of stability and security by sucking on the pacifier.

And now a few cons:

1. Children over the age of 2 who are still using a pacifier can have teeth alignment issues. Bone development issues associated with sucking on a pacifier is normally corrected by about six months after a child is weaned off the pacifier, but pacifiers and thumb sucking, if left unchecked, can cause a lot of proper growth issues later in your child's left.

2. Sucking a pacifier could lead to painful middle ear infections. Auditory tubes are open a lot, which can allow secretions from the throat to creep into the middle ear. These secretions can move bacteria to the middle ear, causing infection. Watch your child for ear infections; if he is constantly having them, it might be due to a pacifier.

Allowing your child to have a pacifier doesn't have to be a bad thing; but they should be weaned before the age of two. A few ideas from knowyourteeth.com:

-Dip the pacifier in white vinegar

-Prick the nipple with an ice pick

-Cut it shorter so it isn't as fun to suck on

-Try going cold turkey if these other options don't work.

Halloween is around the corner, which for most children means bags of free candy and a chance to build up the stockpile of sweets for the winter. Being one of the most fun times of the year for families, Halloween can also present parents with a variety of health and safety challenges.

The American Dental Association, America's premier source of oral health information, has prepared a list of 10 suggestions to help parents maintain good oral health for their children around the Halloween holiday and throughout the year.

1. Consume Halloween candy and other sugary foods with meals.
   Saliva production increases during meals and helps neutralize acids produced by bacteria in your mouth and helps rinse away food particles.
2. Avoid hard candy and other sweets that stay in your mouth for a long time.
   Besides how often you snack, the length of time food is in your mouth plays a role in tooth decay. Unless it is a sugar-free product, candies that stay in the mouth for a long period of time subject teeth to prolonged acid attack, increasing the risk for tooth decay.
3. Avoid sticky candies that cling to your teeth.
   The stickier candies, like taffy and gummy bears, take longer to get washed away by saliva, increasing the risk for tooth decay. 
4. Drink more water.
   Consuming optimally fluoridated water can help prevent tooth decay. If you choose bottled water, check the label for the fluoride content.
5. Maintain a healthy diet and make sure the meals you eat are nutritious.
   Your body is like a complex machine. The foods you choose as fuel and how often you "fill up" affect your general health and that of your teeth and gums.
6. Avoid beverages with added sugar such as soda, sports drinks or flavored waters.
   When teeth come in frequent contact with beverages that contain sugar, the risk of tooth decay is increased.
7. Chew gum that has the ADA Seal.
   Chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after meals has been shown to reduce tooth decay, because increased saliva flow helps wash out food and neutralize the acid produced by dental plaque bacteria.
8. Brush your teeth twice a day with an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste.
   Replace your toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won't do a good job of cleaning your teeth. 
9. Clean between teeth daily with floss or an interdental cleaner.
   Decay-causing bacteria still linger between teeth where toothbrush bristles can't reach. Flossing helps remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line. 
10. Visit an ADA-member dentist for more information on maintaining your oral health.

The ADA helps members keep current with the latest information affecting dentistry to provide the best-possible patient care. Regular visits to your ADA-member dentist can help prevent problems from occurring and catch those that do occur early, when they are easy to "treat."

• Read More: This Halloween Don’t Play Tricks on Your Teeth

Did you know? Baby teeth matter more than you might think.

Many people are under the impression that baby teeth are less important than adult teeth, as they will fall out and be replaced by permanent teeth before the child reaches adulthood. This is simply not true: in fact, infections in baby teeth can cause serious damage to adult teeth, and possibly even life-threatening illnesses, when left untreated. About 51 million school hours are lost each year because of dental-related illnesses, as reported by the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. Kids who get cavities in baby teeth are often more likely to get problems with adult teeth as a result, including crowding and improper growth alignment.

On the other hand, prevention does not have to be a chore, and is simple to begin at home with regular brushing. Parents can help children by choosing foods and drinks with less corrosive substance and high sugar content, and by scheduling their dental check-ups early on. As a recent article in the Greeley Tribune notes, if children are brought in for a dental visit by their 1st birthday and become accustomed to good dental habits and to seeing a dentist regularly, they are far more likely to be comfortable with visits later on - and these visits are more likely to not include pulling baby teeth with cavities, or having to correct damage done by poor care of baby teeth.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, dental disease is the number one chronic health problem for American children. So help your kids have better adult teeth by making sure their baby teeth are healthy first.

READ MORE: Dental health just as important for infants as it is for adults

We know how overwhelming each day can be for parents - especially new parents. There are a lot of changes and challenges to work through, and many new moms and dads don't immediately think of oral hygiene when they consider their children's health. But despite the prevalance of coughs, colds, skinned knees, broken bones, stomach aches, and so many other childhood ailments, the number one chronic childhood disease in America is actually tooth decay. So we'd like to offer a couple of tips to help parents and their kids have healthy teeth and gums:

1- Make sure your teeth are healthy first. If you are a mom-to-be, it is especially important that you get a check-up and make sure you have no cavities, gingivitis, loose teeth, or poor diet issues. This will ensure that your little one is healthy at birth, and that his oral habits will be positively encouraged and enforced as he grows.

2- Bone up (yes, pun intended) on important dental milestones in your child's future. For example: when he will begin to lose his baby teeth; when he might need to change his tooth brush or tooth paste; and how to plan for future dental needs, such as braces.

3- Be picky about when you give your child sugary liquids. Milk, formula, or juice have high sugar content, and if they are given before a nap or bedtime will coat your child's teeth for an extended period of time. This could encourage tooth decay. So try to keep sugary snacks to the daytime, and brush after they're finished.

4- Most importantly, remember that your child looks to you to learn how to take care of his health. So set a good example, and make a family appointment to see your dentist regularly.

To learn more, check out these links:

Baby’s First Steps to a Healthy Mouth

Early Dental Visits May Help Prevent Problems Down the Road