Cavities in Baby teeth: 5 Ways to Avoid Them

We all know that we get two sets of teeth. The first set starts coming in sometime between 4 and 12 months of age, and begin getting replaced by adult teeth as early as 4 years old. Alarmingly, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that the rate of cavities detected in the baby teeth of small children between the ages of 2 to 5 increased from 24% in 1994, to 28% in 2004. This is particularly distressing because in the preceding 40 years there had been a decrease in tooth decay in children so the new data suggests a reversal of this trend.

Some reasons for the increase of cavities in baby teeth may be due to some or all of the following:

• Increased sugar intake
• Poor oral hygiene
• Babies allowed to go to sleep with their bottles plugged in
• No fluoridated drinking water
• Reduced emphasis on the importance of oral care

Parent’s attitudes toward tooth care for their children’s first set of teeth is generally good, however there are some who believe there is less need to focus that much on baby teeth because they will be replaced anyway. This is a particularly unfortunate point of view because not only is early oral hygiene focus critical for the avoidance of painful cavities in baby teeth, but the effective training of young people as early as possible increases the likelihood that they will properly care for their permanent teeth when they come in.

Following are 5 key ways to avoid the incidence of cavities in baby teeth:

1. Never give babies and young children soda pop, and limit the amount of juice to 4 ounces per day.
2. Refrain from putting your baby down to sleep with a bottle
3. When your child becomes upset, give them a toy/pacifier/blanket to calm them down rather than a bottle
4. Begin appropriate oral hygiene as soon as your child’s teeth appear. As a parent, you should continue to be responsible for cleaning your children’s teeth into the preschool years. Teach your children to brush; let them do it for themselves; then after praising their good work, brush their teeth thoroughly yourself.
5. Bring your children to their first dentist visit at their first birthday, or 6 months after their first teeth come in.

You should be able to easily prevent cavities in your baby's teeth, but it can happen. If it does, please remember to bring in your child immediately upon detection (indicated by cranky behavior when drinking cold/hot liquids, or by visibly darkened spots on the teeth).

Additionally, all parents should be aware that their children will need to have a dental screening in order to attend kindergarten, so be sure to fill out the Kindergarten Checkup Form ahead of time and bring it in when you come with your child for his or her appointment.