How Do We Prevent Tooth Decay In A Child’s Smile?
Children can develop tooth decay for a number of different reasons, but we can help lower their risk. With a preventive approach to children’s dental care, we can lower the risk of cavities. In today’s blog, the team at Pediatric Dental Care in Casa Linda, talks about fighting cavities for kids of all ages!
How Cavities Form
What causes a cavity to develop in your child’s smile? All teeth are coated in a very strong layer of outer enamel, which protects the sensitive interior from exposure to bacteria. But factors like poor brushing and flossing and a diet high in sugar can create plaque buildup that weakens the enamel. Cavities can then form with time, leading to aching teeth and the risk of infection, possibly premature tooth loss. Likewise, injury or teeth grinding could also leave little smiles at risk for cavities. Our team will examine your child’s smile carefully to understand the cause of your little one’s tooth decay, so we can recommend a preventive approach to avoiding them in the future.
Warning Signs to Watch For
If you bring your child in for a checkup and cleaning every six months, then we have a chance to keep a close eye on the smile as it grows and changes, which means we can catch tooth decay in the early stages, often before your little one experiences discomfort. You may not realize your child needs treatment otherwise until they report pain in their teeth or discomfort when they eat or drink anything. When this happens, schedule a visit right away. Once the tooth hurts, tooth decay is in a more advanced stage and treatment is needed to avoid infection. Even baby teeth need care because they could fall out months or even years after the cavity forms, which allows infection to form and spread, threatening smile stability and alignment in the process.
Fluoride Treatments
Our team can help lower the risk of tooth decay by offering kids fluoride treatments as part of their checkup and cleaning visit. During this process, we will apply fluoride to the teeth in a varnish form that coats them. Fluoride then helps strengthen the outer enamel, so the teeth are more resistant to enamel erosion and decay. The process only takes a few seconds, and kids just need to avoid food and drink for about a half hour as the material fully cures. This can provide months of protection against cavities!
Dental Sealants
We also help limit tooth decay with a dental sealant! With this option, we target the molars in the back of the mouth, which are more difficult for kids to reach when they brush and floss, leaving this area particularly vulnerable to cavities. With dental sealants, we coat these teeth in a thin acrylic layer so food and drink particles cannot be trapped on or between them. Next, we will cure the material. The layers can stay in place for years to come, often as long as ten, to help protect little smiles! Applying this only takes seconds and as with fluoride, kids just need to avoid food and drink for about a half hour as the material properly cures.
Dental Cleanings
Another way we help protect kids from a cavity with a traditional dental cleaning every six months. With this procedure, we will use an ultrasonic scaling device and a manual pick to gently and thoroughly remove all plaque and tartar from on the surfaces of your little one’s teeth. We then polish the teeth, not only brightening them, but making it more difficult for plaque and tartar buildup to accumulate before we see them again in six months.
You can also help protect their smiles in between these visits by making sure they brush and floss daily, and also cutting back on how much sugar and starch in their diets. These steps help protect their teeth and their overall health too! If you have any questions about how we prevent tooth decay and safeguarding little smiles, then reach out to our team today to learn more. We look forward to helping kids of all ages enjoy better oral health and hopefully, avoid cavities in the future.
PDC Kids Helps Prevent Tooth Decay
Our team wants to help safeguard your kids against painful issues like tooth decay! If a cavity does form, we can help treat it in only one visit with a nearly lifelike and durable dental filling, one made from a metal-free composite resin material. To find out more about avoiding the onset of cavities in little smiles, then call Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX, today at (214) 321-4880.
filed under: Preventive Treatments