Untreated tooth decay affects the lives of 27% of Australian kids between the ages of 5 and 10. In fact, over half of six-year-olds already have decaying baby or adult teeth.

This is the reason for the hospitalisation of more than 100 kids every week in New South Wales alone. Many of them need filling, while others require capping and even extraction.

As a parent, your top priority is keeping your little ones as healthy and happy as possible. Now, keep in mind that there’s such a thing as a mouth-and-body connection. In other words, your children can only be in great health if their teeth and gums are in perfect condition.

This said, it’s best you arm yourself with the know-how of dealing with rotten teeth. We’ll share with you all the important details you need to know, so be sure to keep reading!

Tooth Decay in Kids: How It Develops in the First Place

Plaque is the culprit behind dental decay in babies, toddlers, and adults. It’s the colourless film that creates a sticky layer on the teeth.

What makes it dangerous is the bacteria it contains. When these microorganisms mix with sugars and starches left by food, they produce a type of acid. This acid is so strong that it can eat away at the teeth’s enamel, the hardest tissue in our bodies.

Leave cavities untreated, and that film that seems harmless can lead to rotten teeth. When the affected teeth become too decayed, it can cause pain, gum diseases, and worse, tooth loss.

Myth Busters: Dental Decay in Kids are as Harmful as Cavities on Adult Teeth

Now, you may be thinking that since baby teeth are only temporary, decay in them isn’t as big of a deal. Wrong.

Granted, primary teeth will still fall out to give way for adult teeth. But that doesn’t make them expendable nor less important than permanent teeth.

Untreated cavities, whether on baby or adult teeth, are harmful, period. Even when they affect only the primary teeth, they can still have a negative impact on your child’s young mouth.

Top Plaque-Forming Causes in Children

There are plenty of factors that can lead to plaque formation on the tooth in the first place. Knowing what these are is key to preventing a rotten tooth from making your little one suffer.

Poor Oral Hygiene

As a kid, you’ve likely heard your parents tell you to brush your teeth at least twice a day. It should be the same for your kids.

The sad news is, a survey found that two-thirds of Australian children don’t follow this golden rule.

Brushing and flossing on a regular basis are crucial to getting rid of plaque. Keep in mind that plaque is a constantly-forming hazard on the teeth. Worse, it takes as little as one to three days for it to harden into the even more harmful tartar.

That alone should make you realise the importance of twice-a-day brushing and flossing.

Your young ones should also see a dentist for cleaning and gum care at least twice a year. This way, you can rest assure the plaque missed by brushing and flossing are still addressed. Plus, regular dental visits also help you find out if your child has any special oral health needs.

Baby Bottle Decay

If your child often falls asleep with a baby bottle in their mouth, they’re at risk of tooth rot. This is especially true if the bottle contains milk, formula, or juice. In fact, even only a wee bit of sugar or honey on the pacifier can cause rotting tooth.

This is one of the top causes for the 42% of all kids between five and 10 years old having had baby tooth cavities. These drinks, after all, contains sugar. Again, sugar left in the mouth for too long gives rise to tooth caries.

The best way to prevent this is to stop putting your child to sleep with a bottle containing a sugary drink. If your tot is having a hard time falling asleep without a bottle, fill it with water instead.

Too Much Sugar and Carbs

A whopping 14 teaspoons of sugar every day. That’s how much of the sweet carbohydrate Australians consume.

The problem is, that amount far exceeds what the World Health Organisation recommends. It’s 57% more than the recommended sugar intake for adults. For children aged four, that’s almost 80% higher than the recommended limit of three teaspoons a day.

FYI, WHO doesn’t recommend giving children younger than two any extra sugar at all.

That’s because too much sugary and carb-rich foods can lead to so many health conditions. They can cause the teeth to rot.

To keep your entire household tooth decay-free, limit the intake of such foods and drinks. These include milk, candies, fruit juices, sodas, cakes, bread, and preserved fruits. If you can’t 100% rid your family’s diet of it, then stick to the golden rule of regular brushing and flossing.

Getting Rid of Cavities ASAP

Have you noticed different-coloured spots on your kid’s teeth? Does your young one complain of mouth or tooth pain or sensitivities to hot, cold, or sweet foods and drinks?

In this case, then it’s best you set up an appointment with a children’s dentist like Dr de Castella at Yarra Valley Dental ASAP. All those are signs of dental decay.

The earlier the diagnosis, the sooner you can save your child from more pain. The sooner a dentist addresses the decay, there are fewer risks for possible tooth loss.

Treatment Options for Rotting Teeth

In any case, if your child already suffers from rotting teeth, know that a good dentist will try to save it first. Reliable dentists often consider extractions as the last resort.

The treatment still depends on the age and health condition of your little one. The oral health professional also needs to consider the severity of the dental decay.

If you get your kid treated early, then it’s likely that a filling is all that’s needed. This involves a thorough cleaning of the teeth and gums and getting rid of the decayed part first. From here, the dentist replaces the removed part with a filling material.

Fillings, or restorations, usually come in two forms: Direct and indirect restorations.

For direct restoration, your child can be in and out of the dental office in an hour or even less. Most direct restorations often consist of a tooth-coloured material. Resin, acrylic, and silver are the most common materials used.

Indirect restorations take about two or more dental office visits. They’re more complex and need more preparation. In most cases, they’re often the treatment for more severe (and multiple) decays.

Aside from dental fillings, these treatment options also include inlays and onlays. Crowns, veneers, and bridges are also often used, although, for the most part, they’re given to adults. Most of these mimic the natural appearance and colour of the tooth enamel.

More Tips to Prevent Rotting Teeth in Your Child

A lot of parents aren’t aware that they can transfer bacteria from their own mouth to their kids’. That can happen when sharing utensils. That said, you’d want to avoid feeding your child with the same utensils you already used.

Also, make sure you follow these preventative guidelines to keep rotting teeth at bay:

The Right At-Home Oral Care

A baby’s first tooth often erupts by the age of six months. When this happens, you can start brushing. It’s important to brush not only the teeth but also the tongue and gums.

For kids below three, a tiny amount of toothpaste — the size of a rice grain would suffice. You can bump this up to a pea-sized amount by the age of three. As for flossing, your little one can begin doing it daily once they hit the age of two.

Increase Fluoride Intake

Lack of fluoride can also contribute to tooth decay. That’s because this natural mineral helps make the dental enamel stronger. As a result, the teeth become more resistant to cavities.

Public water supplies in Australia contain this mineral. But not all people in the country drink straight from the water supply. Nor do you they use quality fluoride-containing toothpaste.

In this case, it’s best that you consult a children’s dentist such as Dr de Castella at Yarra Valley Dental about the best ways to raise fluoride intake. Aside from tap water and toothpaste, there are also fluoride supplements available. Fluoride varnish and dental sealants can also be a good idea for you and your children.

Stopping Dental Cavities In Their Tracks

Here’s a final statistic to put things in perspective:

67,266 oral health-related hospitalisations occurred in Australia between 2015 and 2016. Almost a third of these were for patients eight years old and younger. What’s more, many of these were preventable conditions.

All that should make you more concerned about tooth decay.

Dental cavities don’t have a place in your home, so keep them at bay before they make your children suffer.

If your child is showing signs of rotting teeth, like tooth pain or sensitivities, don’t hesitate to ring us up. We can get those cavities sorted ASAP.

The way your little angel smiles at you makes your heart melt. So, naturally, you want to keep your child smiling.

On an emotional and a mental level, you’re focused on making your child feel loved and protecting them from one day to the next. But on a more practical level, are you taking extra steps to protect their pearly whites, too?

Research shows that tooth decay affects between 60-90% of school-aged children in the majority of the world’s industrialised countries, even though it’s largely preventable.

If you’re looking for ways to ensure that your young child doesn’t get cavities, here’s a rundown on 10 cavity prevention tips for early childhood.

Let’s get started!

1. Stay Away from Sugary Drinks

You enjoy a sweet drink every once in a while — or maybe even more frequently. So, you may think it’s only fair that your little one enjoys some sweet drinks, too.

Unfortunately, in your effort to treat your child, you’re actually causing them more harm than good. That’s because misusing a baby bottle can cause tooth decay along with other dental problems.

As a general rule of thumb, you should never put sugary drinks in your child’s bottles.

If your child has already become accustomed to sugary drinks, wean them off of them by diluting the sugary drinks with water. Then, gradually add more water until they are drinking water only. Food dye can be added to make the water interesting or using a special swirly straw!

2. Avoid Bottles at Bedtime

If your young one is a baby, you may be tempted to leave a milk-filled bottle with them at bedtime. Whatever it takes to keep them happy and therefore keep you sleeping longer, right?

Wrong.

Sure, bedtime bottles might comfort your child. But they can be extremely destructive to the teeth.

When sugar from milk or formula remains in your child’s mouth, this can result in dental decay and thus pain.

So, try to create a nighttime routine that involves no bottles in bed. For instance, give your child a favourite toy or security blanket to take to bed. Or play relaxing music.

You can also read a story to your child, give them a nice back rub, or rock them to keep them content at bedtime without a bottle.

If your child absolutely has to have a bottle at night, keep it filled with water only.

In addition, if your child is nursing, avoid prolonged nursing, and don’t allow him to fall fast asleep during nursing. After all, breast milk contains sugar, too.

Also, begin to teach your child to use sippy cups when they reach between 6 months and 12 months of age. By the time your child turns one they should definitely be using training cups.

Finally, don’t let your child walk around the house with a bottle in hand. This will only encourage them to constantly take sips and thus inundate their teeth with sugar that sticks around and potentially causes cavities and decay.

3. Start Brushing and Flossing as a Family

When your child gets a little older, an excellent way to encourage them to brush their teeth is to brush  with them. You can also leave brushes in the kitchen and instruct them to brush while you are cleaning the kitchen after dinner!

However, brushing alongside your child isn’t just a great way to establish a solid oral health care routine at home. It also gives you a chance to monitor your child’s brushing habits.

Don’t forget to floss also!

Living in a non fluoridated area like Yarra Glen means children are missing out on fluoridated drinking water. One of the best ways to compensate is to get your children to spit out the excess toothpaste but not rinse afterwards. This is known as the “spit no-rinse” technique.

4. Choose a Child-Friendly Dental Office

One of the most critical cavity prevention steps you can take for your little one is to get them into a child friendly dental  practice s soon as possible.

Ideally, you should have a dental practice picked out for your child before their first birthday. Then, take your child to the dentist every six months for routine checkups.

Going to the dentist will help your child to prevent dental decay.. Or if your child ends up developing decay, their  dentist can treat it right away. Tooth decay and cavities should be addressed quickly because it causes pain and it is an infectious disease, so it spreads.

5. Start Oral Cleanings Early

Even if your child is only an infant, they still need their teeth cleaned  just as much as older children do.

Simply use a damp, clean cloth to clean their gums. Doing this actually improves the prognosis for healthy teeth before they even erupt. It also familiarises your child with proper oral care while they are very young.

6. Promote Healthy Eating

A particularly effective way to improve the health of your child’s mouth is to get them to eat healthier foods.

Here are some excellent food options for a healthy mouth:

• Cheese
• Leafy greens
• Carrots
• Almonds
• Yogurt
• Apples
• Celery

Vegetables and fruits are water dense and help to stimulate saliva production in the mouth. As a result, it produces saliva which helps to harden the teeth.

In addition, foods containing calcium — like dairy products — help to strengthen your child’s tooth enamel and thus defend the teeth against cavities. This is because these foods neutralise the destructive acids that can eat away at the teeth (more on that next).

7. Avoid Sweet Foods

Sweet foods like chocolate biscuits have a tendency to become lodged in the grooves of the teeth. And if your child doesn’t brush properly, these foods become a source of sugar for tooth decay-causing bacteria.

Cavities form when bacteria utilise starch and sugar to generate acids. These acids eventually cause the enamel to become worn out, and as a result, holes start to develop in the teeth.

So, try to avoid giving your child the following food and drink items:

• Juice
• Sweet biscuits
• Soft drinks
• Honey
• Dried fruits

Of course, it’s not realistic to totally eliminate these foods and drinks for your child’s diet. However, you should try to minimise their consumption as much as possible.

Also, if your child does consume these starchy items, have them brush and floss afterward.

8. Rinse the Mouth with Water

Rinsing the mouth out with water is another smart move for protecting your child’s teeth from cavities. Your child can simply swish with water to eliminate any food debris remaining in their mouth after a meal.

This is especially important following meals filled with starchy items.

Rinsing with water does two things. First, it flushes out food that allow bacteria to grow, and it helps neutralise acids.

Second, it helps to repair weak enamel, as water contains invaluable minerals that the teeth need to remain strong.

Using water is also a wise move when your child cannot immediately access mouthwash or a toothbrush.

If your child drinks fluoridated tap water, this will provide additional protection against tooth decay and cavities.

9. Don’t Swap Spit

Keep in mind that bacteria in the mouth can spread through the sharing of beverages and food.

So, to keep your child from swapping harmful bacteria with other people, teach them to avoid sharing food and drinks.

10. Spring for Sealants

Finally, ask Dr de Castella, a children’s dentistry specialist, about sealants for the secondary teeth which can help prevent cavities in the grooves of the back teeth.

Dental sealants are essentially plastic coatings placed on the back teeth’s chewing surfaces. They prevent food and bacteria from building up and causing decay  in the grooves of the teeth.

These non-invasive coatings are usually simple to apply, so the procedure should be quick and easy for your child.

How We Can Help with Cavity Prevention

Yarra Valley Dental is a leading provider of top-of-the-line dental services for the entire family.

We know that poor dental hygiene in your children can lead to problems like cavities causing tooth loss and severe pain. Your child could also end up with space loss for their adult teeth, speech problems, dental phobia and poor self-esteem.

That’s why we are passionate about examining and treating children of all ages. Our services for children include cleanings, fillings, sealants and even extractions where required.

Get in touch with us to find out more cavity prevention tips and how we can keep your child smiling bright for years to come.