Helping Your Kids Avoid Childhood Dental Cavities

There are some troubling numbers around childhood dental cavities. For example, almost half of American kids (42%) will have a dental cavity in their baby teeth and of these children around 20% will be left untreated. This is troubling not only because these untreated children are likely to be in pain, but also because dental cavities are fairly easy to avoid in the first place.

Avoiding Childhood Dental Cavities

Below are 4 simple ways to help your children avoid dental problems in their baby teeth:

• Early Dental Visits – The American Academy of Pediatric Dentists recommends that your child visit the dentist by his or her first birthday. After this first visit, your child should go in for dental checkups every six months. Unfortunately, many children don’t visit the dentist for the first time until there’s already a dental cavity or tooth decay.
• Dental Sealants – Once all of your child’s baby teeth are in, it’s time to consider dental sealants. Sealants consist of a thin plastic coating that protects the tooth enamel on your child’s teeth. The sealant is applied as a liquid and then hardens over the teeth. Sealants protect the grooves and pits of the molars, where children have a difficult time brushing. Lastly, dental sealants are considerably less expensive than the treatment for dental cavities and tooth decay.
• Bedtime Habits – We know that it’s easy to put your child to bed with a bottle of milk or juice, but it’s one of the worst things you can do for his or her dental health. After your children have brushed their teeth at night, they shouldn’t consume anything else besides water. This is because saliva (which helps wash away sugar and bacteria from the teeth) is greatly reduced during sleep. This lack of saliva production in addition to adding extra sugars at bedtime can be a great recipe for “bottle rot,” or childhood tooth decay.
• Set a Good Example – Lastly, the best way to teach your children the importance of their oral hygiene is to practice good oral hygiene yourself. Your children will follow your example! Make tooth brushing a family event and use this time to teach your children how to properly brush and floss their teeth.

We want all of our patients to have healthy and beautiful smiles! To make an appointment for your child’s dental cleaning and checkup, please contact Meadows Family Dentistry. Our family dental office is located in beautiful Castle Rock, CO.