How To Help Your Children Prevent Cavities

Posted on: 8 July 2018

The CDC says that cavities, or dental caries, are the most common health issue for young children. While some people blame cavities on an inheritance of "soft teeth," this is actually an old wives' tale. There are many ways to help your children stay cavity free — here are just a few.

See a Dentist Regularly

Once plaque has hardened to tartar on the teeth, it can only be removed by a professional. So it's important for you to take your child to a dentist regularly for a cleaning. Some parents may think it's not a big deal if baby teeth get dirty, but there are many reasons for professional cleaning.

Baby teeth that become severely infected they can cause abscesses and pain. If a cavity destroys a baby tooth, then it may need to be extracted early. When a tooth comes out too early, the adult teeth may come in poorly.

Cut Back on the Sugar

Children have much more sugar in their diet than ever before. And these sugars are the main reason for an increase in cavities, not poor dental hygiene. If your child has a high-sugar diet, the bacteria in the oral cavity can feed on them and produce acids as a by-product. These acids, in turn, break down the enamel.

Use an app, like My Fitness Pal, and track your child's daily sugar intake — you may be surprised by just how much they are getting. In fact, the average person consumes 66 pounds worth of added sugars in a year!

There are lots of foods and drinks that may look healthy, but which actually contain a lot of sugar. For example, juice boxes are often touted as healthy drinks, but too much can be bad for teeth. So instead of sending a child to bed with milk or juice, encourage them to have a glass of water instead.

Invest in Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are a fantastic way to protect your child's teeth. When your child visits a dentist, he or she can paint a tough resin shell on your child's molars. This resin will harden and seal out bacteria that might otherwise cause cavities. Sealants are perfect for children because the application is quick and painless. Sealants last about a decade. If your child wears them down, the dentist can always reapply another coat.

For more information on how to help your child prevent cavities, consider going here!

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When my three children were young, they were all excited to go to the dentist. The dentist's office was great fun with a large fish tank and a variety of puzzle toys in the waiting room. I liked the pediatric dental office so much that I jumped at the chance when I was offered a receptionist job. Many of the children who came to see the dentist were not nearly as happy as my children. Most kids were scared and anxious, and I learned fairly quickly that the children were worried because they had no idea what to expect. The dentist at the office provided me with a set of dental tools that I could show to the children. I explained how each of the devices worked. This eased the fears, and I started this blog so parents could share dental information with their children before dental visits.

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