Prevention

Cavities require three factors.

1. Agent: Bacteria
2. Host: Tooth
3. Substrate: Sugar

To minimize your child’s cavity risk, one or all of the above factors must be addressed.

Toothbrushing twice daily
This is a mechanical removal of plaque (this is full of bacteria), food (sugar) from the teeth.

It is especially important that your child goes to sleep with clean teeth. Saliva acts as a buffer and reduces the acidity in the mouth. When asleep, there is less salivary flow therefore less protection for the teeth.

Assist your child with daily flossing
Baby teeth are most susceptible to cavities between the teeth, areas a toothbrush cannot reach. Usually by 4 years old, the gaps between your child’s teeth (particularly the molars) will often close. When this happens we recommend daily flossing be part of your child’s daily oral hygiene practices.

Reducing snacking frequency and sugar intake
Bacteria like to live in an acidic environment. Frequent snacking creates an acid environment that bacteria thrive on.

Chew sugarless gum between meals
The act of chewing increases salivary flow that helps reduce the acidity in the mouth.

Xylitol (artificial sweetener) also reduces streptococcus mutans (cavity-producing bacteria) levels in plaque.

Regular Dental Check-ups
Your child should have regular check-ups every six months to ensure that we diagnose cavities early, monitor your child’s dental development and reinforce good oral hygiene practices. Children who are cavity-prone and adolescents undergoing orthodontic treatment may benefit from more frequent check-ups.

Regular check-ups include professional dental cleaning and topical fluoride application (if necessary) to help keep your child’s teeth clean and cavity-free.

Dental Sealants
Molars have deep grooves in them that harbour plaque, bacteria and food. This is especially true for permanent molars. Pit and fissure sealants are protective coatings placed on molars that seal off the grooves and prevent cavities from forming.

Sealing molars is analogous to weather sealing wood decks. Sealants can last for several years but may wear down over time and may need to be touched up over time depending on your child’s tooth wear patterns.

Sealants are usually recommended on permanent molars (6-year molars, 12-year molars, wisdom teeth and premolars). In some cases, sealants may also be recommended on primary teeth.

Please feel free to ask us if your child is a candidate for sealants.