Tooth Decay and Children

by Admin on November 19, 2008

Wise Guy ... Wishing He Had His Teeth

Image by rosefirerising via Flickr

Tooth decay in children is very common because of the high consumption of sugar, which could be in the form of chocolates, soda etc. Apart from this, there are few other causes of tooth decay as well.

1. Dental Sealants :

Shape of the tooth often plays a major factor in tooth decay. Due to the different shape and size of teeth, a tooth could be more susceptible to decay than others. Dental sealants can prove to be a valuable aid in prevention of tooth decay.

Some teeth like molar teeth are difficult for a person to clean because some portion of molar tooth may be hidden by the gum and the grooves in the chewing portion of these teeth are deep and narrow. So, brushing them does not clean off plaque completely. Due to this some plaque remains and can result in tooth decay.

For such a situation, dentist bonds plastic sealant into and over the grooves of a tooth, resulting in a tooth surface, which is comparatively flatter and smoother. This allows the tooth brush bristles to almost reach and clean every possible chewing portion the tooth, thereby reducing the chances of a plaque.

2. Baby bottle caries

As discussed in my previous post as well (http://www.oraldentalcare.org/tooth-decay-reasons-of-tooth-decay.html), baby bottle caries refers to tooth decay in the infants and kids, who are allowed to nurse from a bottle containing a sugary beverage, either frequently or for prolonged periods of time (such as while sleeping at night).

Hence, in order to avoid baby bottle caries,try not to allow the child to nurse with a bottle for prolonged period of time, like while sleeping, especially with a sugary liquid like milk. Also, neither should the child be breast fed frequently through the night

3. White Spot Lesions

Braces cause hinder to tooth brushing, which can lead to tooth decay. A special complication associated with not removing dental plaque effectively when braces are in place has to do with the formation of “white spot lesions.” This demineralization process changes the quantity and quality of the tooth’s mineral, as a result of which, the appearance of the tooth’s enamel changes. Appearance of opaque whitish color on the tooth is an indicator of white spot lesions.

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