Cavities are common enough that they may not seem like a serious issue when mentioned anymore. However, they’re not just common – they’re also highly destructive when left alone, and can lead to increasingly worse problems for your child’s primary and permanent teeth. At our Newhall, CA, dental office, helping children prevent cavities and preserve their healthy smiles is a routine part of the family dental health services we provide. Today, we examine a few of the more effective ways for you to help your child avoid the need for cavity treatment.
Prioritizing hygiene every day
Good hygiene is the most important part of effective cavity prevention. That’s because cavities develop when oral bacteria (the building blocks of plaque) remain on a tooth’s enamel for too long. The key to preventing this is to teach children to carefully clean away plaque and food particles by brushing their teeth at least twice and flossing at least once. Otherwise, plaque will calcify into tartar, and toothpaste will no longer be enough to remove it from your child’s teeth.
Investing in healthier snacks
Oral bacteria become a threat when they metabolize the nutrients in certain foods and beverages, such as sugars and carbs. The more often children snack on and drink sugary substances, the more actively oral bacteria can produce harmful things like acids that make their tooth enamel weak. After enamel becomes compromised, your child’s tooth can easily become infected (or decayed) by oral bacteria, leading to the development of one or more cavities.
Attending professional cleanings
In addition to cleaning at home, keeping your child’s teeth healthy also requires routine professional cleanings and checkups. During each visit, we can carefully remove any tartar that has calcified on your child’s teeth, drastically reducing the risks of cavity development. We can also thoroughly check for signs that a tooth is at a high risk of a cavity, or if one has already begun to develop and needs further treatment.
Opting for additional treatment
If your child’s tooth develops a cavity, then it may need a biocompatible filling to restore it. However, if your child’s teeth are at a heightened risk, such as if the enamel around their teeth has grown weak, we may still prevent cavity development with the help of fluoride treatment and/or dental sealants. Fluoride helps boost the integrity of tooth enamel’s mineral bonds, while dental sealants can completely block healthy tooth structure from harmful oral bacteria and plaque development.
Help your child prevent cavities
Children may need some assistance to successfully prevent cavities, and at our office, we can help ensure that success. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Newhall Dental Arts in Newhall, CA, today at (661) 259-7760.