We live in the age of the Super-Mom. This mythical being has the power to raise kids, work full time, cook gourmet meals, keep the house spic-and-span and look fabulous 24/7. Even though we all fall a little short on meeting these goals, we CAN do an incredible job with prevention of tooth decay for our kids. There are very simple steps that parents can take to greatly reduce their children’s risk of dental disease and cavities. These steps don’t take much time, but they do need to be started early.
My favorite time to see a child is before their first birthday. This gives me the best chance at preventing cavities. It also helps me provide education to the whole family on the factors involved in creating dental cavities BEFORE any cavities start. Many moms come to my practice ready to do everything they can to prevent the dental disease they have experienced themselves from happening to their children. Moms who brush their children’s teeth ask “What else can I do?” Here’s a summary of my answers.
- Brushing – Many children love to brush their teeth, but often do not do a very good job. Imagine asking your child to write out their full name in cursive. If they don’t have the skill to do this, they probably don’t have the skill to brush well. Kids often miss the upper gum part of the front teeth, the backsides of the molars and the tongue-side of the lower molars. Adults can help by pre-brushing or re-brushing before or after their children. This extra one-two-minute step can get the plaque off the teeth and really reduce a child’s risk of decay.
- Fluoride Toothpaste – Every child has an individual risk level for cavities. Factors that influence the risk level include a history of previous cavities, history of cavities in the family, medical history (especially the use of steroid inhalers to treat Asthma, and frequent exposure to sugary medications) and even socioeconomic class. Your child’s dentist can help determine your child’s risk level and then advise if it’s appropriate to use fluoride toothpaste.
- Limiting Snacks – Frequent snacking is a red flag predictor for cavities. When a child eats a snack, the bacteria in their mouths produce acid that can erode tooth enamel and cause cavities. Each time a child snacks, the acid production starts. You can image how damaging this can be over the course of a day. Your child’s dentist and pediatrician can help you choose snacks that have a lower potential to generate acid and can help coach you on reducing the frequency of snacking for your kids.
- Cutting Out Cavity Culprits – Certain foods with high substantivity or “stickiness” have a much greater cavity-causing potential. Gummy snacks, fruit leather and chewy-sweet treats have the potential to stick in the grooves of the teeth and continually feed bacteria, even many hours after they are first ingested. For example, one study showed fruit gummy snacks remaining in the grooves of molars 18 hours after brushing. In my house, we have eliminated these types of treats because there’s really no good way to brush them off the teeth.
- Reducing Decay in the Adults around the Kids – Adults with active dental disease will carry a higher cavity-causing bacterial load in their mouths. Cavity-causing bacteria can be inadvertently passed to children through sharing or tasting food, sucking “clean” a dropped pacifier, and children picking up the adult’s toothbrush. If you can, encourage all the adults in your child’s life to see a dentist and get their cavities treated. If this is not possible, at least encourage the adults to use an anti-bacterial mouthwash twice a day. This will reduce the amount of cavity-causing bacteria in the adult’s mouth that can be passed down to the child.
- Regular, Thorough Dental Check-Ups – Pediatric Dentists do a lot more than just treat cavities. We form an active and on-going partnership with parents for the prevention of decay. We can identify soft-spots or “early carious lesions” and make a plan to prevent their progression into full-blown cavities.
Even though we are not idealized versions of the “Super-Mom,” we can all take steps to prevent decay in our children. By brushing their teeth ourselves, choosing wisely when it comes to snacks, and seeing a dentist regularly, we are all Super-Moms in the prevention of tooth decay!
-by Dr. Mandy Ashley
About Our Dentists: Dr. Mandy Ashley and Dr. Madison Galloway are Board Certified Pediatric Dentists proud to serve the communities of Bowling Green, Hopkinsville, and Glasgow! We look forward to sharing our vision of excellent comprehensive dental care that is fun for children and people with special healthcare needs with your family.
SKY Pediatric Dentistry has been providing dental care to children and adults with special needs since 2013. As board-certified specialists in dentistry for children, our team strives to make going to the dentist as fun as possible while maintaining high-quality treatment and preventative measures. We tailor treatment plans to each child and offer a wide range of treatment options, including sedation, in-office general anesthesia, and also hospital-based dentistry. With over 25 YEARS of doctor experience, SKY Pediatric Dentistry is a great choice for children’s dental care in Bowling Green, Hopkinsville, and Glasgow!
Be the first to comment