Today I wanted to share a guest post on preventing cavities in children as this is something that seems to be gaining more press attention with too many little ones having dental issues. It’s good to know what can be done to help because prevention at a young age is better than cure, and some of the basics still apply to us adults in looking after our gnashers.
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Cavities In Children Are Common
The occurrence of cavities and caries is not as uncommon as some people might think. Just remember how much sweets we ate during our childhood. It’s no wonder that even the kids of today get dental issues which, luckily, can be easily sorted out with a simple visit to the dentist. Besides, parents take a certain amount of control over their kids when it comes to brushing, flossing, and other dental activities.
It’s no surprise then that kids end up developing cavities in their teeth due to a lapse in judgment. All it takes is that your focus drops for a couple of seconds and suddenly your kid doesn’t want to brush his teeth anymore.
The thing is, if you don’t teach your children to do it themselves (and the importance of dental hygiene), such things will continue happening for a long time. You don’t want to take your kid to the dentist every month or two, and I believe the kid doesn’t want that either.
Preventing Cavities In Children
So, in the best interest of everyone involved, you’ll need to find out some tips that should help prevent cavities in children (by assisting them to understand the dangers of not taking care of your teeth).
Without any further ado, here are six tips for preventing cavities in kids!
1. Maintain a Healthy Diet
Food is a significant part of our lives, and without it, we wouldn’t get very far. There are some amazing dishes in the world that you’ve got to try, and there are those that are dangerous and unhealthy. You should do your best to ensure that your children’s diets are healthy and strong, without any damaging ingredients that might damage teeth in many ways including tooth enamel damage, plaque, caries, cavities, and many others.
We recommend a balance of fruits, veggies, and the usual food, as well as completely getting rid of junk food. Not only is it bad for teeth, but it brings no nutritional value to the table at all, so why even waste your money on it (and why expose your kid to such junk).
2. Maintain Your Child’s Oral Hygiene Routine
Oral hygiene is, as mentioned before, integral to how happy someone will be. Ever had a friend with a terrible toothache; one he/she couldn’t deal with? Yep, dental issues are very tough to go through; especially if there’s something to be done on your teeth (the buzzing of the saw comes to mind).
You’ll have to enforce your child’s oral hygiene routine as best as possible. All your kid needs to do is brush regularly and to not stray too far from the routine. If this is managed, there’s nothing to worry about!
3. Limit Sugary, Sweet, and Sticky Foods
All of the foods in these categories are considered bad for oral hygiene and teeth. Sugary snacks such as lollipops, chocolate, and others are often regarded as the tooth’s worst enemy. On top of that, some of these food types are unhealthy in the general sense (plus it can cause weight gain).
Anything that contains a lot of artificial sugars (compared to natural ones in fruit or vegetables) should be avoided at all costs. Surprising your kids every once in a while is okay, but make sure that this number is low.
Adult tooth whitening is possible to help restore the colour of your teeth, so if you want to whiten them but don’t want to visit a dentist, you can find information here on how you can do it yourself.
4. Fluoride Treatment To Prevent Cavities
Fluoride toothpaste is the norm nowadays, but there are many different ones that kind of serve a different and unique purpose. One thing is for sure, however, and that’s fluoride. Fluoride can be found in most modern toothpastes, and it’s a great way of keeping your teeth clean and strong.
Pick out fluoride toothpaste created for kids and tell your child that this is their toothpaste. They’ll feel a sense of pride, knowing that he/she is the proud owner of a toothpaste (that only they use!).
5. Consider Dental Sealants
Cavities are normal, and whenever they happen, people should visit the dentist and get them fixed. The only problem is, some people don’t like getting dental sealants. The reason behind this is relatively unknown.
Dental sealants are nothing more than sealants meant to protect your teeth from unwanted food bits and infection. Also, they keep the teeth together, which is another benefit of dental sealants. If your kid has issues with cavities, make sure he/she gets the adequate care!
6. Regular Dental Checkups
Most dentists recommend recurring visits every 3-4 months (as often as you’d change your toothpaste). You can go more often, but usually, there is no need. When it comes to kids, the timeline is the same.
The point is to have regular dental checkups so you can be sure that there’s nothing in need of fixing.
[ This is a free guest post & as such the ideas expressed here are that of the author. This should not replace a dental expert’s opinion. ]
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7 comments
All great advice. You need to teach them young how to care for their teeth. My granddaughter always says, “Just brush the ones you want to keep.”
Have a fabulous day. ♥
I also suggest going gluten free, for years I would go to the dentist and have a couple more cavities to report, so we were doing everything we could to prevent them, M never had any, I went gluten free and a year later for the first time in my life there were no cavities.
This is a good post, Caz! Dental hygiene and check ups are important. My son went from zero cavities to 29 in one year. It was the dentist who asked first thing if he was on an allergy medicine. He said medicines were bad for causing cavities from causing extra dryness, removing the saliva that protects the teeth from plague. It was the dentist and my son’s diligent care and extra efforts to stay hydrated, and to ask his doctor to be removed from the allergy medicine that played a huge role in his still having his teeth now at 30.
Great ideas!
My girls are still too young for fluoride as they still eat their toothpaste but we went on our first dental visit a few months ago. Right now brushing is super important and even if they fall asleep before we get to brush, I often will still take them and I’ll brush their teeth while they’re half asleep.
you always have such a sweet way of writing 🙂
???? Hope you’re having a good week lovely xx