Tips For Preventing Children’s Cavities

Posted February 15, 2021

The pandemic has made a lot of changes to our daily life, and few of them have been positive. For children, staying home more often has meant more snacking and as a result, an increase in cavities. In today’s blog, your Dallas, TX, pediatric dentist will explain how improving your at-home routine, and seeing us for a cleaning, could help stop the cavity increase!

Cutting Back on Sugar

Did you know that too much sugar, in addition to causing tummy aches, could harm the teeth? When oral bacteria break down and consume the particles of sugar left behind on the teeth, this creates plaque buildup. The bacterial buildup then coats the teeth, weakening enamel and enabling a painful cavity to form. In addition to obvious suspects like candy and soda, other sugar-rich items include fruit juice, milk, energy drinks, and sports drinks. Try offering a healthy alternative, such as whole grain crackers, mixed nuts, cheeses, low-fat yogurts, and of course, fresh fruits and veggies. Remember, letting your little one take a nap or fall asleep at night with a bottle or sippy cup of milk or juice could be a cavity causing issue!

Brushing and Flossing

Along with better snack and meal habits, make sure your children clean their teeth each day. For babies, you can help wipe away food and drink particles from the teeth. For toddlers, you and assist them with an age-appropriate toothbrush and a floss pick. Older kids can be monitored, but will likely have the dexterity to brush and floss alone. They should brush in the morning and again at night for at least two minutes and using a rice-sized bit of fluoride toothpaste. Flossing should happen before bed, and should begin as soon as there are teeth in the smile sitting side-by side.

Six Month Cleanings

Better snacking, and brushing and flossing habits, help limit how much plaque is able to form on the teeth. But! Only a professional dental cleaning removes the buildup completely. We suggest a visit every six months. We will examine the smile and also remove all plaque. We can also look for the earliest stages of demineralization and weakened enamel, treating a cavity with a lifelike filling and preventing further pain or the risk of an infection. If you have any questions, then please contact our team today!

Don’t Ignore a Toothache!

We know that cavities could cause your kids discomfort and lead to major complications, so we want to help them avoid tooth decay when possible. To learn more about pediatric dental care, then  by calling Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX today at 214-321-4880. We proudly serve patients who live around Casa Linda and all surrounding Dallas communities.