Cavity Prevention in Children
A recent publication of Family Circle contained an article with a shocking statistic: The most common chronic disease among children is tooth decay. According to national reports, about half of the children in the United States have a cavity and one in eight adolescents currently have one that is untreated. Here are a few recommendations to reduce the chances of tooth decay:
1. Encourage your children to brush, recruiting help if necessary
Children are notorious for bad brushing habits. You can encourage your child to brush through one of the many popular music techniques circling the web. It may also help your child to use an electronic toothbrush. They work more plaque loose and may help your child brush longer.
2. Sugar sticks around so swish with water
It takes about twenty minutes for your mouth to breakdown and wash away sugar. Having your child drink water after eating something sugary helps with this process, especially if the sugar came from a soda or lollipop that took more than a few minutes to consume.
3. Don't share utensils
Recent studies suggest that some people just have more decay-causing bacteria than others. Sharing utensils, giving your child some food off of your utensil, or sharing water bottles or other drink vessels may help to introduce new bacteria to your child's mouth. Reducing the sharing of utensils could help make sure your child doesn't get as much exposure to decay-causing bacteria.
These techniques are a few easy ways to change habits but may make an enormous difference in cavity prevention.
Source: http://www.familycircle.com/
R. Eric Emery, DDS
Morgan A. Emery, DDS
Smile Station Dental
2901 Dougherty Ferry Rd, Suite 400
St. Louis, MO 63122
(314)821-7100
smilestationdental.com
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