Tooth Decay in Children

Baby tooth decay treatment

Prevention is key to help keep your child cavity-free.

Preventive dentistry begins with the first tooth. If a tooth is present, it is capable of getting a cavity regardless of age. The primary goal of each dental visit is to help you learn about your child’s oral health and how to best care for your child’s unique needs before problems occur.

Cleanings

Maintaining your child’s health is your most important role. Bringing your child for their well-teeth check-up every 6 months is essential for keeping your child’s teeth healthy and allows us to partner with you to establish healthy oral hygiene routines. One of our specially trained hygienists will clean your child’s teeth, provide home care instructions that are easy to follow, and educate your child on a level they can understand.

Fluoride

Fluoride varnish application is part of your child’s comprehensive preventive program at WE LITTLE Paediatric Dentistry. Applying varnish fluoride after each cleaning prevents and reverses early tooth decay. Since the varnish fluoride is retained on the teeth for 3-6 months, you are providing long-term protection for your child’s teeth.

Education

Do you find yourself asking how to get your child’s teeth brushed twice a day when there are days you are chasing them down the hallway just to get dressed? For our youngest new patients, we will provide you with helpful tips on how to be successful when you attempt to brush their teeth, as well as how to kick those nurturing habits such as using a bottle at bed-time, pacifier or thumb sucking.

Home Care Guidelines

Even though visiting our office regularly is an important factor of an effective prevention program, home care is what is essential to maintain an overall healthy mouth. Setting good habits at an early age makes all the difference!

Healthy Choices

Understanding exactly how a cavity form is extremely important when it comes to your little one’s oral health. It’s not only the plaque that forms on the teeth that can be a concern but what and how often your child snacks throughout the day. This plaque will remain on a tooth until properly removed with effective brushing. Every time that your child consumes a form of sugar (whether carbohydrate or a sugary drink), they feed this bacterial plaque, which produces acid. This acid attack on the tooth enamel, lasting 20 minutes or more, creates ‘cavity mode’ and can lead to a breakdown of tooth enamel causing a cavity.

Helpful Tips

1. Frequency is key to help keep your child cavity-free! Limit the number of snacks times throughout the day

2. Avoid starchy snacks, such as crackers, bread, cookies, and chips which can linger in the grooves of the teeth making cavity mode last longer

3. Shop smart and stock your fridge and pantry with healthy snacks. Save the sugary, starchy snacks for special occasions or at mealtime

4. Choose healthier snacks such as yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, and even dark chocolate, which has antioxidant properties

5. Soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, and even juices tend to be acidic which can breakdown the enamel even faster

6. Don’t lick or sip – the longer it takes to lick a hard piece of candy or drink a sugary beverage, the greater the damage

7. Drink at one sitting or with food and drink only water to hydrate