[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One thing we like to educate our patients and their children about at our practice is cavity prevention. Dental cavities, or dental decay, can cause havoc on a child’s teeth. Good oral hygiene and regular dental appointments are two ways that your child can help prevent dental cavities. Read below for more tips on how to keep your child’s teeth healthy and prevent future cavities.
How Are Cavities Formed?
Dental cavities are dental decay that creates a hole or a cavity in the tooth. Sugar and carbohydrate form buildup on the teeth. This sugar and carbohydrates form into bacteria which becomes acid. The acid then starts to create a hole in the tooth. If not treated, bacteria can sit in the newly formed holes. When bacteria sit in the cavity, they can make their way into the bloodstream, causing an infection. Cavities not only lead to dental fillings, but they can also lead to restoration options such as tooth extractions and root canals.
How Can I Help My Child With Cavity Prevention?
Dr. Bingham at Rigby Pediatric Dentistry recommends many ways for parents to help their child with cavity prevention Rigby, Idaho. A few ways to prevent cavities are good oral hygiene, dental sealants, and dental fluoride. For more information on cavity prevention, keep reading.
Good Oral Hygiene
The first thing Rigby Pediatric Dental recommends to prevent cavities is good oral hygiene. Good oral hygiene means that your child brushes, flosses, and uses mouthwash twice a day. Not only will this keep their breath fresh, but it will also remove plaque and bacteria that have built up on their teeth throughout the day. Another part of good oral hygiene is visiting Dr. Bingham and his team of professionals every six months. During this appointment, we will conduct a dental cleaning and exam. During this exam, Dr. Bingham will look for signs of decay and dental cavities. The dental cleaning will remove tartar that cannot be removed at home.
Dental Sealants
Once your child’s back molars have erupted, it is essential to put sealants on their back molars. There are grooves and crevices in the back molars that make them more susceptible to bacteria and debris collection. The fissures make it more likely that a cavity will form. Dental sealants are a painless procedure. The sealants are painted onto the molars and then hardened with a blue light. This procedure is quick and easy to complete during your regular check-up appointment scheduled every six months.
Fluoride Treatment
At Rigby Pediatric Dental, we recommend using fluoride toothpaste. This toothpaste chemically helps to strengthen the outer surface of your tooth, the enamel. This surface helps with cavity prevention. At Rigby Pediatric Dental, we also offer a fluoride treatment. A fluoride treatment is painted over the teeth to strengthen the tooth’s outer surface chemically. Similar to the fluoride toothpaste.
At Rigby Pediatric Dental, we put a big focus on cavity prevention, especially for children. We recommend three main ways for cavity prevention:
- We recommend good oral hygiene and regular dental appointments. Good oral hygiene will ensure that the health of your child’s teeth remains strong over time.
- We recommend dental sealants which go over the top of the back molars. It helps to prevent bacteria and debris from collecting in the crevices.
- We recommend a fluoride treatment. Much like sealants, this is painted on and chemically strengthens the outer protective layer of the tooth, the enamel.
For more information about cavity prevention or to make an appointment for your child, call our office today. We look forward to hearing from you. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]