Frisco Children's Dentist Shares Tooth Decay Prevention Tips

Children’s Tooth Decay Is Preventable

Actually adults can certainly benefit from an ounce of prevention when it comes to our own dental health too.

But since we’re starting off National Children’s Dental Health Month here in February at the time of writing this post, let’s focus on some preventative dentistry tips for children.

According to the Academy of General Dentistry, tooth decay is America’s #1 chronic childhood disease, one that is 5 times more common than asthma and 7 times more common than hay fever.

Left untreated, pediatric dental disease – or tooth decay – can lead to malnourished, bacterial infections, severe periodontitis (gum disease), or worse.

At the Frisco children’s dentist office of Dr. Manjula Alapati, we are most concerned with communicating all aspects of childhood preventive dental health care to parents.

Parents are the Dental Health Role Models

As parents, if we can guide our kids to taking care of their teeth and gums we will give a great deal of help to our wallets too!

As your Frisco TX children’s dentist we can prevent childhood dental health issues like tooth decay (cavities) if we catch potential problems early and address them accordingly.

But if we neglect to treat what starts off as a tiny problem, it could very soon represent a much larger – and more expensive – problem to treat in the future.

The key to starting our children on the path to optimal oral health is PREVENTION!

2 Ways We Can Prevent Tooth Decay in Children

Let’s look at two children’s dental health preventative measures we take here at New Smiles Dental Excellence of Frisco:

1. Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are space-age plastics that are bonded to the chewing surfaces of children’s decay-prone back teeth – you know the ones that are so difficult for them to reach while brushing their teeth.

Dental sealants are so effective in preventing decay on the biting surfaces of your chewing teeth, we recommend them for most children.

It’s just a preventative measure to protect your children’s teeth when they are at their most susceptible to decay.

Dental sealants are a simple procedure in which a tooth-colored acrylic “coating” is painted onto the surface of the tooth.

This effectively “seals” the deep grooves, acting as a barrier and protecting enamel from plaque and acids.

Sealants are easy to apply and take only a few minutes to seal each individual tooth. They also hold up well under the force of normal chewing and can last several years before a reapplication is needed.

But children aren’t the only ones that can benefit from a little preventative dentistry by using dental sealants, adults can too.

This is just one of the ways which preventative dentistry can help you instill in your children a lifetime of good oral health.

2. Prevention of Cavities

There are two primary culprits when it comes to children’s dental health, or lack thereof to be more accurate:

Too much sugar
Not enough brushing

It’s these super sweet sugar-laden foods and drinks that can really do a number on the dental health of children.

But as parents, a little preventative care can go a long way here too.

A recent study found that 88% of fruit juices made for infants and toddlers contain added sugars.

For a lot of children, tooth decay forms as a direct result of a high sugar consumption. If parents can better control their child’s diet the dangers of tooth decay decrease significantly.

Are we noticing a trend here?

The other major cause of tooth decay in children is that they don’t brush their teeth enough!

All parents know that with kids sometimes brushing their teeth can be a chore.

But if as parents we can take the time to explain why it’s so important to brush our teeth and maintain diligent daily dental hygiene habits ourselves, then it makes it easier for our kids to follow in our footsteps.

In today’s digital age there are so many tools and teaching aids available to parents concerned about the dental health of their children.

From the Justin Bieber toothbrush, to tooth-brushing timer apps and Bluetooth toothbrushes, there are so many tools and opportunities to teach our children the importance of prevention when it comes to dental health.

Brushing for 2 minutes, 2x per day keeps the cavity creeps away!

Here are some tips for cavity prevention – for children & adults alike:

Limit frequency of meals and snacks.
Encourage brushing, flossing and rinsing.
Watch what your child drinks.
Avoid giving your child sticky foods.
Make treats part of meals.
Choose nutritious snacks.

Frisco TX Children’s Dentist: New Smiles Dental Excellence of Frisco

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Frisco Children’s Dentist Offers HUGE Smile Savings

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Dr. Alapati offers significant savings here in Frisco and the surrounding Denton & Collin county areas for adults & children.

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on the dental health blog of Dr. Frank Maldonado and has been republished here with permission. It has since been updated for accuracy & comprehensiveness.