Dental Care for All of Us

Having your child go through even a single cavity can make you feel terrible as a parent. Nobody wants their child to be in pain, and to top it off, it might make you feel like you're somehow responsible for your child getting a cavity. While it's ultimately up to your child to perform good oral hygiene, there are things you can do to help prevent your child from getting another cavity. Here are three ideas you should consider.

Plaque Disclosing Tablets

One of the best ways you can ensure that your child is doing a good job brushing their teeth at home is to use plaque disclosing tablets.

Plaque disclosing tablets are a type of chewable, safe tablet that contains a strong - but harmless - dye. This dye readily gets stuck in dental plaque, which means that when your child chews it up, their teeth will become visibly red or pink where plaque is still present. This can be a valuable tool to ensure that your child is actually brushing their teeth, and not fibbing, or to make sure that they're doing a good enough job of it. Once your child has used the tablet, brushing their teeth or rinsing will be enough to remove it.

Dental Sealants

One of the best ways to protect your child from cavities is to get the help of your dentist. Dentists can apply a treatment called dental sealants that can be extremely helpful in preventing cavities.

Dental sealants are a thin layer of the same material that's used to seal up dental cavities. They're applied on the chewing surfaces of teeth, which naturally get the most exposure to food particles and are the most difficult to keep clean. Dental sealants act as a layer of protection between the tooth and everything outside of it. Dental sealants are effectively immune to bacteria and plaque, so a sealant can potentially last years and help to keep your child from getting cavities for that duration of time.

More Frequent Cleanings

Everyone's oral hygiene is different, and some people are more prone to cavities and gum disease than others. For this reason, if your child seems to develop cavities regularly, it might be time to increase the number of times they get their teeth cleaned at the dentist's office.

Your dentist will ultimately be able to tell you how often you should bring your child in. Make sure to not skip appointments. More frequent dental cleanings are more affordable and more pleasant for your child than having to go under a dental drill again, so it's well worth the time.

To learn more about pediatric dentistry, contact your local dentist.