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How to prevent early childhood cavities
- What is early childhood caries (cavities)?
- Tips for preventing cavities in baby teeth
- Importance of a healthy diet
- Benefits of fluoride
- Parent education videos
What is early childhood caries (cavities)?
The U.S. Surgeon General recognizes oral health as critical to overall well-being. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ “Healthy People 2010” report, cavities are a chronic disease five times more common than asthma among our nation’s children. More than half of all children have cavities by the second grade.
About 25 percent of Wisconsin’s Head Start children ages 3 and 4 have untreated decay and 33 percent have had cavities and now have fillings (source: Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ “Burden of Oral Disease in Wisconsin – 2010” report).
What is early childhood cavities?
Early childhood cavities on the rise
Tips for preventing cavities in baby teeth
Baby teeth can get cavities and young children can develop dental infections. Baby tooth decay is a serious, infectious and transmissible disease that can spread quickly and lead to infection without proper precautions.
The good news is early childhood caries (cavities) are preventable. Tips for preventing cavities in baby teeth include:
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Why a mother's oral health is important
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Pacifiers
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Causes and prevention of early childhood cavities
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Eating patterns and food choices among children and teens are important factors that affect how quickly youngsters may develop tooth decay.
If your diet lacks certain nutrients, it may be more difficult for tissues in your mouth to resist infection. Many researchers believe disease progresses faster and could be more severe in people with nutrient-poor diets.
Choose foods wisely. Some foods that you would least expect contain sugars, such as fruits, milk, bread, cereals and even vegetables.
The key to choosing foods wisely is not to avoid these foods, but think before you eat. WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat makes a big difference in your dental health.
To get a balanced diet, eat a variety of foods. Choose foods from each of the five major food groups:
- breads, cereals and other grain products
- fruits
- vegetables
- meat, poultry and fish
- milk, cheese and yogurt
Limit the number of snacks you eat. Each time you eat food that contains sugars the teeth are attacked by acids for 20 minutes or more.
When you eat, food passes through your mouth where it meets the germs or bacteria (plaque) that live in your mouth. These bacteria love sugars found in many foods. When you don't clean your teeth after eating, plaque bacteria use the sugar to produce acids that can destroy the hard surface of the tooth, called enamel. After a while, tooth decay occurs. The more often you eat and the longer foods are in your mouth, the more damage occurs.
If you do snack, choose nutritious foods, such as cheese, raw vegetables, plain yogurt or a piece of fruit. Foods that are eaten as part of a meal cause less harm. More saliva is released during a meal, helping wash foods from the mouth and lessening the effects of acids.
For good dental health, keep these tips in mind when choosing your meals and snacks and remember to brush and flossy daily.
Source: American Dental Association
Fluoride has significant benefits for children. It works with plaque and saliva to protect the tooth enamel and make it more resistant to the acid and bacteria that cause tooth decay.
Community water fluoridation has been shown to reduce tooth decay by 20-40 percent in children, even in an era with widespread availability of fluoride from other sources, such as fluoride toothpaste.
For children who live in nonfluoridated communities, dietary fluoride supplements are an effective alternative to water fluoridation to help prevent dental decay. Parents should consult with family dentist about fluoride use for children younger than 2.
- View the ADA’s Fluoridation Facts
- View examples of various stages of early childhood cavities, fluoride varnish tips, oral health facts and tooth eruption chart
Click here for more information about fluoride and community water fluoridation in Wisconsin. Visit the ADA’s website for additional guidance on sources of fluoride for young children.
The following video clips offer tips for brushing a young child's teeth, including how much toothpaste to use and guidelines for a healthy diet.
How to brush your young child's teeth
Oral hygiene tips for young children