What you Should Know about Dental Decay in Kids

Creating time in a busy schedule to visit your child’s density can be hard. However, you must do this twice every year. Otherwise, the possibility of your child developing dental decay is significantly higher. If you want to understand the importance of maintaining good oral health, you must learn more about the mouth in general. People must know about the things that can occur when they don’t maintain proper oral hygiene.

How to Maintain Healthy Mouth Environment

Your mouth needs to have a healthy environment which means no dangerous bacteria. However, a lot of people don’t realize that when a child starts to suffer from dental decay and infections, these can create an unhealthy mouth atmosphere. Therefore, rather than having a tooth suffering from dental decay, a child may suffer from many teeth with dental decay. You can prevent this by scheduling biannual teeth cleaning to make sure your child’s pediatric dentist can remove the decay as soon as it starts to form. It’s important to catch this problem early enough to maintain a healthy environment in the mouth and prevent future oral health issues.

How Tooth Decay Develops

Whenever a person eats, food particles get on their teeth and help sugar stay there. Then, plaque formation will happen, secreting acid that attacks the teeth. Brushing the teeth after every meal can help prevent this. But, the longer this plaque stays on the teeth, the more acid that will attack the teeth. Over time, the teeth’s enamel will give away, leading to the creation of a small hole. The decay can continue to spread throughout the tooth and possibly infect the center of the tooth. Some food and beverages can increase the possibility of decay forming due to their high sugar content.  These include soda, cookies, cake, juice, crackers, ice cream, candy, and more.

How to Treat Dental Decay

If you and your child visit a children’s dentist to treat cavities, the dentist will perform an examination and may have to take X-rays. The dentist will then remove the decayed part of the tooth. Then, they will thoroughly clean the area and place a dental filling. Typically, dentists recommend tooth-colored fillings that can blend in with the natural tooth structure. But, before doing all these, the dentist will numb the area and offer your child pain medication to ensure their comfort. If your child is anxious or scared about their appointment, the dentist may use a mild sedative first to help your child remain calm.