Causes of Childhood Cavities
You may wonder why it even matters if your child’s teeth have cavities – aren’t these baby teeth going to fall out anyway? However, your child’s baby teeth are important for the health of their permanent teeth. They act as “placeholders” for permanent teeth and help them to come in without being crowded. They also help to form the shape of your child’s face and ensure that your child can chew properly and speak clearly. And of course, leaving tooth damage untreated can also be very painful for your child and can even lead to infection. Here are a few tips to help your children to have cavity-free teeth:
- Don’t let them fall asleep with their bottle. You should also avoid breastfeeding your baby to sleep. This allows liquid to stay in your baby’s mouth for a long time, which leads to tooth decay.
- Start oral care early. Even before your baby has teeth, you should clean off her gums with a soft, damp washcloth after feeding or at least twice a day. As soon as the first tooth appears you should begin brushing it with a soft, small toothbrush.
- Feed them healthy food. You don’t have to cut out sweets completely from your child’s diet, but make sure they do eat well-balanced meals before eating those cookies!
- Teach them how to brush. From early on, stress how important it is to take good care of teeth. Teach them how to brush and floss, and make sure they see you taking care of your own teeth, too.
Preventing cavities in your children’s teeth will help them to have strong, healthy teeth as they get older, and teaching them how to take care of their teeth will set them up with good habits to last a lifetime. If you are concerned about your child’s teeth, or if it’s time for their first checkup, contact Dental Kidz Club. Call 951-200-5553 to schedule an appointment at one of the offices in Brea, Corona, Covina, Ontario, Riverside, Chino, and Perris, California, today!
