How to Keep Your Child's Cavities from Spreading

 

Child's Cavities 

Is it true that cavities are contagious? They are, believe it or not. In fact, the better your own dental hygiene is, the healthier your child's teeth will be. By sharing drinks, food, eating utensils, and even kisses with our children, we inadvertently transmit bacteria onto them. This isn't to say we shouldn't kiss our kids whenever we get the chance, but we must be careful not to pass on hazardous bacteria that can and will cause cavities to them.

Babies' mouths are free of dangerous bacteria when they are born, but this quickly changes when they develop teeth. Families unwittingly pass on disease-carrying microorganisms known as Dental Caries, which can lead to difficulties that last a lifetime for some. Another bacteria, mutans streptococcus, causes cavities by feeding on sugar, eventually leading to plaque and tooth rot.

Tooth decay is easy to develop after plaque has taken hold. For a variety of reasons, an increasing number of children are acquiring cavities these days. Cavities affect around 40% of children aged 2 to 5 years old, according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Association (AAPD). This is shocking information, but the good news is that cavities in youngsters can be easily avoided. Asking your child's dentist for advice is a good place to start.

The greatest techniques to keep bacteria from spreading to your baby's mouth and creating cavities are as follows:

You Must Keep Your Hands to Yourself!

Children's hands are naturally drawn to their lips and everything around them, including your mouth, their siblings' mouths, a playmate, or a relative, where germs are transmitted back and forth in an endless cycle. Sharing isn't always caring when it comes to dental hygiene. Teach your youngster to be cautious while sharing food and beverages with others. To keep germs at bay, make it a practice to wash your hands after playing and eating.

Getting Rid of Bacteria

The greatest strategy to help prevent cavities in children is to start practicing good dental hygiene even before their first tooth emerges by gently wiping their gums with a clean towel after each feeding or meal to help prevent germs and plaque from growing.

It's as simple as washing their teeth with gauze or a clean cloth after meals when their teeth start to come in. When they're approximately 3 years old and can communicate with you, you can start teaching them how to brush their teeth with a toothbrush and a small quantity of toothpaste.

Allowing children to use toothpaste is generally discouraged until they can be taught not to ingest it and to spit it out while brushing. You can begin by using a toothbrush designed specifically for children and substituting water for toothpaste until they learn not to swallow it. If you're unsure, contact your child's dentist about proper pediatric dental practices and when to start cleaning their teeth. Teaching youngsters to brush and floss their teeth from an early age will assist to prevent bacteria from forming and causing cavities.

Regularly see the dentist

When your child reaches the age of one, it's a good idea to identify a pediatric dentist and begin acclimating him or her to standard pediatric dental procedures including examinations and office visits with a pediatric dentist and his or her staff. Polkadot Pediatric Dentistry in Alpharetta, Georgia, is a specialist in calming and relaxing newborns and young children.

Your dentist will tell you that pediatric oral hygiene begins with treating your child's teeth and gums as if they were your own. Take the time to brush their teeth or clean their gums at least twice a day; avoiding sugary snacks and eating healthy foods will assist to reduce plaque and cavity formation in children.

Try not to share drinking cups, eating utensils, or toothbrushes with your children, as tempting as it may be. By practicing good dental hygiene and training the rest of your family to do the same, you can guarantee that your baby's teeth get off to a healthy start early in life.