Children always look forward to the holiday season, and especially the sugary sweets that are prevalent during this time of year. But that doesn’t mean kids are destined to develop cavities. In today’s blog, your team at Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX, talks about how we can help protect little smiles during the holiday season.
The Risk Sugar Poses
Many of the holiday parties and events you and your kids will be attending, both in and out of school, will feature tons of cookies, cakes, pies, and other holiday treats. This is the season of the Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake! When kids consume a lot of sugar, then there tends to be particles left behind on and between their teeth. When harmful oral bacteria break down these particles, this could create a higher level of oral acidity and leave behind a byproduct coating the teeth.
Plaque is a sticky layer that is difficult to remove fully with brushing and flossing alone, and which could harden with time into tartar. The buildup not only creates teeth stains and bad breath, but could wear down and erode outer enamel to make cavities possible. Your kids could develop toothaches, a higher risk of infection, and require treatment! But we have a few ideas on how to better protect little smiles during the holiday season.
Warning Signs of Cavities
First, let’s talk about the warning signs of tooth decay. If your children attend routine checkups and cleanings, then we could catch decay in the early stages of demineralization, often before your children experience symptoms. If your little one has not had a checkup lately, consider one now before the hectic holiday season arrives. Otherwise, you may not know there is trouble until your children complain about tooth sensitivity during meals, or about a toothache that lasts for more than a day. Once a tooth hurts like this, the decay is likely in a more advanced stage, and care is crucial for avoiding infection or possibly even tooth loss!
Stopping the Spread of a Cavity
If we find cavities in early stages, we could offer help to halt decay before a filling is necessary. For example, we could apply Curodont or Silver Diamine Fluoride to the tooth to help stop the decay from progressing and protect the weakened areas of the tooth.
Dental Fillings
If we find a cavity in your child’s smile, we can help with a safe and gentle dental filling. Using dental lasers, we can ensure the process involves shot-free anesthetic. We gently remove decay from the tooth and clean it, before we apply the composite resin filling material. This material is metal-free and more lifelike in appearance. We apply this and shape the tooth to ensure proper balance. Finally, we cure the material with a light and polish the tooth for a more attractive appearance. In one visit, we stop tooth decay!
Preventing Tooth Decay
While we have explained how to halt or treat tooth decay, how do we help smile avoid it? Bring your child in now for a dental cleaning, in which we will remove plaque and tartar from the teeth and polish them, making it harder for buildup to occur. In the same visit, we can apply fluoride to the outside of the teeth to keep enamel strong and limit cavity risk for months to come. We also have dental sealants, which can coat the difficult-to-reach rear teeth, which kids often have trouble brushing and flossing. The sealants can prevent decay from forming in between these vulnerable teeth for years to come!
We can also talk to your kids about proper brushing and flossing at home, how to limit sugar and starch in their diet, and the importance of drinking water with their sugary treats to help remove particles. Our team wants to help kids of all ages enjoy a smile cavity-free during the holidays and throughout the rest of the year too!
Remember, a visit now is also a chance to use any remaining dental insurance benefits and health savings account funds before they expire at the end of the year! If you have any questions about protecting little smiles from cavities during the holiday season, then contact our team today.
PDC Kids Offers Healthy Smiles During the Holidays
We want to help safeguard your child’s smile and limit the risk of a cavity in the months to come. To find out more about pediatric dental care, then call Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX, today at (214) 321-4880.
