As a pediatric dental practice, we are often asked by parents about how to prevent cavities. Our answer is always good oral health. Helping your child develop and maintain good oral health means establishing correct dental habits and providing professional care.
Here is our No Cavities Top Five list:
l. Begin with oral hygiene. Help your child learn good oral hygiene practice. Teeth should be brushed thoroughly twice a day after breakfast and before bedtime. Use a child-sized, soft-bristled toothbrush with only a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste and supervise your child until at least the age of eight. Be careful to prevent your child from swallowing the toothpaste. With infants, clean their gums and teeth after feeding by gently wiping the baby's gums and teeth with a soft, damp washcloth or gauze pad.
2. Your children need the proper amount of fluoride. Use systemic and topical sources of fluoride. Possible systemic sources include drinking water and fluoride supplements. Check to see if your town's water supply is fluoridated; if your water is not fluoridated, fluoride tablets can be prescribed by your pediatric dentist or pediatrician. Topical sources include fluoride toothpastes, mouth rinses and fluoride treatments applied by the dental professional approximately every six months.
3. Limit snacks to three or four times a day. Almost all foods, especially snacks, contain sugars or cooked starches. Each time a child snacks, the decay-causing bacteria in the mouth become active for a minimum of twenty minutes. More frequent snacks require more frequent brushing. And don't forget to floss.
4. Help prevent baby bottle decay. Using a baby bottle as a pacifier during the day or while sleeping can cause baby bottle tooth decay or early childhood cavities. Since this also applies to breast feeding, it is important that infants not be allowed to feed at will from the breast at night.
5. Protect susceptible teeth from cavities. The chewing surface of the back teeth is an area of the mouth that is very susceptible to cavities, especially molars with deep pits and grooves. Pediatric dentists can protect these teeth with sealants, a protective coating that is painted on the biting surfaces of the back teeth.
And remember, good oral health depends on good home care and regular visits to your dentist.