Stopping Tooth Decay in Children

As a parent, you want to protect your child from anything that might compromise their health. When it comes to your child’s dental health, that means shielding them from tooth decay and its damaging effects. Here are some quick tips to help you protect your child’s smile and fight against decay.

Watch Your Child’s Nutrition

Kids love candies, cookies, chips, and all those other sticky, sweet snacks. Unfortunately, those are the very same sugar-rich things that can increase the chance of developing a cavity. Introduce some healthier options into the rotation like fresh fruits, string cheese, and raw veggies to help promote strong, healthy teeth.

Take Care with Their Bottle Usage

You should never let your child go to bed with a bottle of milk, formula, or juice since that can increase their chance of developing tooth decay. Basically, the sugars in the liquid stay on the teeth and can turn to enamel-eating acid. You can also try to teach your child how to drink from a regular cup as soon as possible since those cups don’t let liquid sit around the teeth the same way bottles do.

At-Home Oral Hygiene

We know that the morning and evening tooth brushing routine is one more thing that parents care about and kids don’t, but we promise it’s worth the hassle. The time you take to teach your children how to properly brush their teeth will pay off in the long run with fewer cavities. Most kids will need help brushing their teeth until at least age 6 and even teens need reminding. The example you set will also encourage them to care about dental hygiene. During their dental visits we can help with instruction and encouragement.

Stay on Top of Dental Visits

Speaking of dental visits, did you know that you should bring your child in for their first dental appointment when they get their first tooth or by their first birthday? After that, your child should be seen by a dentist twice a year, as is the case with adults. These routine visits will help keep tooth decay at bay and set your child up for smile success.

Cavity Prevention in San Antonio, TX

Need some back-up in the fight against tooth decay? Tots to Teens Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics is here to come to the rescue! It’s both our job and our passion to help children have the happiest, healthiest smiles possible. Feel free to call our office with any questions you have. You can also set up an appointment at by clicking the contact link below. We look forward to meeting you and your family!

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Categorised in: Cavity Prevention, Kids Dental Care, Preventive Dental Care