42% of kids ages 2-11 have cavities in their baby teeth. 21% of kids ages 6-11 already have cavities in their permanent teeth. As parents, our job is to teach our children life-long good oral health practices.
7 Mistakes Parents Make with Their Kids’ Teeth
Are you guilty of the following mistakes?
1. Parents Stop Monitoring Teeth Brushing
Toddlers want to do everything themselves, including brushing their teeth. Although independence is a good thing, you still need to monitor your child’s teeth brushing. Kids just don’t have the skills to brush their teeth by themselves until they are 7 or 8 years old.
Give them freedom to brush, but do a quick inspection to ensure every surface of each tooth is clean. Or better yet, brush with your kids!
2. Parents Offer Drinks Continuously
Besides water, parents should not offer drinks to children continuously throughout the day and night. If your child sips on juice, sports drinks, or even milk all day, it can lead to tooth decay. By exposing your child’s teeth and gums continuously to the sugar and bacteria for longer periods of time, their risk of cavities increase.
It is better to offer water or offer your child a drink to consume in one sitting. Be sure to brush if at bedtime.
3. Parents Offer a Bottle to Bed
The logic is sound, if your baby/toddler wakes up at night, he can soothe himself back to sleep with a bottle or sippy-cup, allow parents much-needed sleep. The problem with offering a bottle to bed is that the sugars and bacteria levels associated with sipping on a bottle all night leads to tooth decay. There is not enough saliva produced during sleep to wash away the sugar, bacteria, and acid.
4. Parents Give Acidic Drinks to Kids
You may not give your child soda all the time but did you know that sport drinks are also not good for your child’s teeth? Sports drinks and sodas bathe your teeth in sugar and acid. The acid in these drinks are so high that it doesn’t allow the pH level to re-balance in your child’s mouth. Limit acid drinks and offer water between meals.
5. Parents Give Kids Snacks that Stick to Teeth
Even healthy snacks like bananas and crackers can cause cavities because of concentrated sugars in those foods can get stuck in crevices of growing teeth. Always provide water with such snacks. It is best to give these foods during meals so there is more saliva to clean sugars away.
6. Parents Delay Taking Kids to Dentist
Baby teeth are important to your child’s development. Make your first pediatric dental appointment at least by the time they are 2 years old.
7. Parents Think Baby Teeth are Not Important
There are many reasons why 42% of kids have cavities and I’m sure this is at the top of the list. If you disregard cavities in baby teeth, you are making a big mistake.
Baby teeth are important to maintain proper spacing for permanent teeth. Also, by taking care of cavities in baby teeth, you reduce your child’s chance of infections, pain, and low self-esteem from unsightly teeth
Our Pediatric Dentist in Cuyahoga Falls / Akron, Ohio Area
My family trust Dr. Adam Pollock D.D.S. as our pediatric dentist, located in Summit County. If you are looking for a pediatric dentist for your child of any age, book an appointment today. The entire staff will treat you and your child with the utmost kindness and professionalism to give your child the healthy smile they deserve.
Get a sneak peek at our pediatric dentist visit to see how this specialized dentistry is better than a general practice for your child.
Dr. Adam Pollock Pediatric Dentistry is conveniently located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, just minutes from Akron, Stow, Munroe Falls, Kent, Hudson, Peninsula, Tallmadge, Ellet, Copley, and Fairlawn, Ohio.
Dr. Adam Pollock D. D.S. Pediatric Dentistry
1707 Portage Trail
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223
(330) 929-3091
Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm
Saturdays 9am – 1pm
Visit Dr. Adam Pollock Akron Pediatric Dentistry online and Like Dr. Adam Pollock Pediatric Dentistry on Facebook. Tell them you heard about them on AkronOhioMoms.com.
