5 Ways to Limit Childhood Cavities

How many of you follow these simple rules to prevent cavities? Tooth decay is by far the most common childhood disease. It is five times more common in children than asthma. It is also one of the most preventable diseases.

Here are 5 Simple Rules to Follow to protect your child’s oral health:

1. Provide only Clean Pacifiers.
2. Do Not Lick a Child’s Spoon or Pacifier. Bacteria in adult saliva can cause children to develop cavities.
   
3. Don’t put juice or soda in a baby’s bottle or sippy-cup. Doing so encourages prolonged, frequent consumption of sugary drinks throughout the day and can cause tooth decay.
4. Don’t put a child to bed with anything in their bottle besides water. Sugars found in milk and juice remain in your baby’s mouth overnight. It doesn’t take long for this to cause baby bottle tooth decay.
   
5. Limit sugary foods, juices, and sports drinks.

The best advice to prevent childhood cavities? Have your child’s teeth checked and cleaned every 6 months. For more helpful information about Children’s Oral Health, check out the Michigan Dental Association‘s educational website.

To schedule your child’s next appointment with our dental team, visit our Contact Us page.