Tips For Preventing Childhood Tooth Decay

Posted February 12, 2026

Cavities can form in little smiles of all ages. From babies and toddlers to your older kids and teens, tooth decay can form and threaten smile stability and even increase the risk of issues like misalignment! But we can help. In today’s blog, your Dallas, TX, pediatric dentist talks about how we help prevent childhood tooth decay! With a few simple actions, we can strengthen their teeth and help them avoid cavities altogether!

How Cavities Form in Your Child’s Smile

How does a child’s tooth develop a cavity? The outside of the tooth is covered in enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. Decay means that the outer enamel has been compromised, allowing harmful oral bacteria to enter the tooth and reach the sensitive layers of dentin, allowing a cavity to form. With time, this will grow in severity and could lead to pain in your tooth, eventually causing an infection. With the infection comes greater pain and the risk of tooth less, which could lead to a greater risk of misalignment too!

The factors behind a cavity could include plaque and tartar buildup, as these layers can weaken and erode the outer enamel. The buildup could be the result of factors like poor brushing and flossing habits, a diet high in sugar and starch, and infrequent visits to our team for a checkup and cleaning. We can offer treatment for a cavity with a filling, and even address infection with a root canal alternative known as a pulpotomy. But we would rather help your children avoid cavities altogether!

Prevention with Fluoride and Dental Sealants

One way to help protect the smile is to ensure the outer tooth enamel remains strong and able to withstand issues like plaque buildup and enamel erosion. With a fluoride treatment as part of your routine exam visit, we can help enamel stay strong. This involves applying a thin layer of fluoride varnish to the tooth, which strengthens the outer enamel. The application of this only takes one visit, and kids just need to avoid food and drink for about a half hour.

We also know that many children have trouble reaching the rear teeth when they brush and floss. As a result, particles of sugar and starch can stay stuck between the molars. Bacteria break them down, which creates plaque buildup and increases the risk of tooth decay forming between these rear teeth. But we can help! With a dental sealant, we will apply a thin layer of acrylic to these teeth. Kids avoid food and drink for about 30 minutes as the material cures. Once in place, this prevents food and drink particles from being caught between the teeth to fight tooth decay. They can stay in place for years to come, as many as ten in some cases, protecting little smiles from cavities.

Dental Cleanings 

Another way to avoid tooth decay is with a routine visit for a checkup and cleaning. With the checkup portions, we examine the teeth with digital x-rays so we can assess the presence of tooth decay, often in the earliest stages, before kids even experience pain. We can then treat the issue quickly and effectively. But with a cleaning, we can help lower the risk of tooth decay too! The cleaning involves gently removing all plaque and tartar with an ultrasonic scaling device, which emits gentle vibrations to remove the harmful lawyers. We also have a manual pick to remove the stubborn portions of tartar from along the gum line. We then polish the teeth to not only brighten them, but to make it more difficult for plaque and tartar to build up before you bring your child in for the next checkup and cleaning appointment.

Kids can also lower their risk with daily brushing and flossing, and by cutting back on the sugar in their diets. If they play sports, talk to our team about a mouthguard to protect teeth from injuries that can lead to tooth decay. If you have any questions about how we can help lower the risk of cavities in little smiles, or if your child develops an injury to the teeth or they report a persistent ache or sensitivity, then talk to our office right away. We want to help return kids to optimal oral health, so they enjoy better bite function and a brighter smile too.

PDC Kids Helps Fight Tooth Decay

We want to offer a way to prevent the onset of cavities, so children can smile with confidence and avoid discomfort. To find out more about keeping trouble away from your child’s smile with preventive care and pediatric dentistry, call Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX, today at (214) 321-4880.