Falling victim to these myths about cavities in baby teeth could spell trouble for your child’s dental hygeine. Here’s what you need to know.
Keeping your kids healthy is a lot of work. Your child may not always want to eat right, go to bed on time, or brush their teeth. But it’s one part of your job as a parent that will pay off years down the road.
“Being a parent of a young kid is hard,” says Scott Sachs, D.D.S., a pediatric dentist in Norfolk, Virginia, and a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. “Often, teeth are forgotten. People are more focused on a child’s overall health. But dental care is part of that.”
You might think it doesn’t really matter whether your child takes care of their baby teeth. They’re just going to lose them anyway, right?
Truth is, the habits your child starts when they’re young will stick with them as they grow up.
Here are 5 myths dentists hear from parents about cavities in kids. Once you know the facts, you can help your child learn how to keep their smile shiny, happy, and cavity-free.
Tooth decay, commonly known as cavities, is the most common long-term health problem in kids. Almost a quarter of kids get cavities before they turn 5.
Cavities can really hurt. They can also lead to your child having problems eating, talking, and even sleeping. Plus, those decaying baby teeth aren’t necessarily going to fall out right away.
“Many kids’ first baby teeth start falling out around age 6, but the back baby teeth often don’t fall out until ages 11 to 14,” says Dr. Sachs.
Cavities in baby teeth usually need to be treated or removed. That can be painful and scary for young kids — and expensive for you. And the gaps caused by missing baby teeth can make other teeth move around. So, the permanent teeth might not come in in the right spots. That can lead to a need for braces down the line.
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How healthy your kids’ adult teeth are is directly connected to how healthy their baby teeth are.
“The biggest risk of future cavities is having cavities in the present,” says Dr. Sachs. “If a kid has cavities, we assume they have a higher risk of cavities with their permanent teeth.”
In other words, your child doesn’t get a clean slate after their baby teeth fall out.
Curious about the best ways to handle loose teeth? Here are 6 dos and don’ts for handling loose baby teeth.
Your dental health can be affected by your genes. But that doesn’t mean cavities run in the family. Research shows that good dental habits and nutrition are much more important than genes in keeping teeth healthy.
“Cavities are totally preventable,” says Dr. Sachs. “It’s a cycle that’s easily broken.”
So, even if you and your family have a lot of cavities, your kid doesn’t have to.
Cavities are caused by a combination of plaque, poor oral hygiene, and eating a lot of sugar. Kids are at higher risk of tooth decay than adults because baby teeth aren’t as hard as permanent teeth.
Too much sugar without proper cleaning afterward can lead to cavities. But it can come in lots of other forms besides candy. Starchy foods such as bread, potato chips, and cereal turn into sugar. “A high-carb diet is basically a sugar bomb,” says Dr. Sachs.
Sweet, chewy foods such as raisins and fruit snacks can also contribute to cavities. Sugary drinks such as juice will do the same.
It’s hard to avoid sugar entirely, which is why it’s so important for your child to brush and floss daily.
Toothaches cause pain in or around a tooth. If your child has a toothache, they may have a cavity. But it’s possible to have a cavity without having a toothache.
Cavities can cause other symptoms besides pain, such as sensitivity, white or brown spots on teeth, or holes on the teeth. Sometimes cavities have no symptoms at all.
The best way to keep your kid from getting cavities is to have them:
If your child is under 6 years old, supervise them to make sure they’re brushing their teeth correctly.
“For kids, it’s all about creating a healthy mouth that will prevent cavities long term,” says Dr. Sachs. “If you can do that when kids are young, it will help their teeth stay healthy at age 30.”
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