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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
When a tooth becomes infected, you could develop painful symptoms and over time, risk the…
When we place dental fillings, we want to not only stop tooth decay, but offer…
When you have dental misalignment, this can impact the health and beauty of your smile,…
A smile makeover means we can address multiple cosmetic concerns at once, transforming the overall…
Our cosmetic treatments are not just limited to professional teeth whitening. In fact, we have…
When you have stained teeth, the discoloration could cause embarrassment. Our team understands the beauty…