3 Common Causes of Children’s Tooth Decay

Your dentist has drilled the brushing and flossing routine into your head since your very first visit.  While your oral health habits are vital to your dental health, they’re not the only factors that play into it.  Don’t get us wrong – this is no excuse to skip your daily trips to the bathroom sink.  Instead, we’re giving you reasons to incorporate your dental care into other aspects of your life.

After all, recent discoveries found that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, who lived almost solely off meat and grain, had no trace of cavities or gum disease-associated bacteria. Since the modern toothbrush wasn’t invented until 1938, how did our handsome ancestors manage to keep their choppers so clean?

These are the 3 common causes of tooth decay in children:

Diet

It’s no secret that children love sweets. They collect bags of candy on Halloween, request Hostess Cupcakes in every packed lunch, and even have “smash cakes” to dive right into on their birthdays.  While this makes for some pretty pictures, the resulting cavities are anything but pretty.  Sugar causes cavities. (For a more detailed description of how, check this out.)   Because kids consume the most sugar and they snack often (seriously, are there any moms out there that don’t have to pack a snack for a ten minute car ride?), they’re most at risk for the tooth decay caused by poor diet.

The next time you pack your child’s lunchbox, leave out these 17 sugar-packed kids’ foods.  Opt for whole, unprocessed foods, and make sure to look at the sugar content before you buy.  We bet you’ll be shocked at the sugar level in some of the foods. Additionally, give your child water to drink instead of sugary sports drinks and juices.

Poor Oral Health Habits

There’s no avoiding this one.  It’s extremely important to teach your children proper oral care habits.  No matter how tough it is, establish a brushing routine early on insist that they brush and floss twice a day.  If they don’t pick up these habits early on, it’s even harder to adopt them later in life. YOU are the key to their good oral health.  If you need ideas to motivate your little not-so-eager brusher, check these out.

Too Few Dentist Appointments

Your child should make their first trip to the dentist around age 1. After that, your dentist can advise how often your child needs to return, but it’s generally every 6 months.  Unfortunately, many parents today tend to wait to take their child to the dentist until a problem arises, when it could have been avoided altogether.

Need some tips & tricks to keep your child’s dental health on track? We’ve got you covered! Join over 3,000 other moms and receive our monthly newsletter.