Cavities are the leading reason for a child missing school throughout the year. This is because cavities can be painful, and your child will also need to miss school in order to get these cavities removed. Luckily, cavities are almost completely preventable. The school year just started, and with halloween just around the corner, it’s important to make sure you implement a great tooth care regime for your children, to protect their smiles during the rest of this busy school year.
Just like with any other area of life, your child will thrive if there is some semblance of a routine. Avoiding cavities begins with regular, consistent oral care. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends to have your child brush their teeth twice a day, for two minutes per each session. Making sure that your child brushes their teeth for a long enough period of time will help you ensure that they are cleaning all of the bad bacteria off of their teeth. Removing all of this bacteria helps them prevent cavities.
This gets harder as we get deeper into the holiday season, so establishing good habits now before the sugar rush arrives is really important. It will be easier to help your children keep a low intake of sugar if they already are used to a lower amount of sugar in their diet. Consuming too much sugar can cause tooth decay, which is something you probably already knew. When sugar is consumed, it creates bacteria in your mouth that creates acid, which wears down the enamel on your teeth. This leads to tooth decay. By reducing your child’s sugar intake, you’re protecting their teeth from future cavities.
Saliva is made of 99% water. Saliva is critical for fighting cavities. This means it’s super important to make sure that your child is drinking enough water to provide their mouth with the ability to maintain the strength of their enamel and fight off cavities.
A lot of adults have a hard time flossing on a consistent basis. This is because it was never part of their oral hygiene routine as a child. As we mentioned earlier, it’s really important for your child to have an oral hygiene routine. Start implementing flossing into their routine, and it will be a good habit they carry into adulthood.
Dairy contains calcium, a protein that strengthens teeth and bones. 99% of the body’s calcium is stored in the teeth and bones. Milk and dairy products also strengthen the enamel in your mouth. Two great reasons to add some dairy to your child’s diet!
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