Family and Cosmetic Dentistry

What is it?

Caries, or tooth decay, is a preventable disease. While caries might not endanger your life, they may negatively impact your quality of life, and infection in your mouth can spread to other parts of the body.

When your teeth and gums are consistently exposed to large amounts of starches and sugars, acids may form that begin to eat away at tooth enamel.

Carbohydrate-rich foods such as candy, cookies, soft drinks and even fruit juices leave deposits on your teeth. Those deposits bond with the bacteria that normally survive in your mouth and form plaque. The combination of deposits and plaque forms acids that can damage the mineral structure of teeth, with tooth decay resulting.

It is important that children brush and floss regularly, however getting them to do so can be a challenge.  Teeth that have been neglected in childhood tend to become weaker and increasingly prone to decay.  That being said, it is never too late to start taking better care of our teeth!

What you can do about it?

Well for one thing, if improper care is causing you to avoid the dentist due to embarrassment, it is critical that you suspend that concern and just do it!  The dentist is not going to berate or scold you, he/she will not be shocked or disgusted.  On the contrary, you will find that most dentists are very supportive and most will be thrilled to help you on your journey to better oral health.

Parents can encourage their children to brush and floss regularly, even if it requires bribery!  Perhaps a simple reward such as staying up an extra 15 or 30 minutes will motivate your child.  Some parents make oral hygiene a basic expectation and with hold privileges such as television or computer time until it is done.  With very young children, parents should perform the teeth brushing, and continue to do so until the child has developed adequate dexterity to do it themselves.  Often children who have experienced teeth cleaning from a very early age (infants) will keep up the habit easier than a child who is introduced to oral hygiene later.

Of course children should be taken to the dentist for regular check ups as well.  If you wait to go to the dentist until there is a problem, your child has a greater chance of developing dental anxiety.  It is far better if their first experiences are non invasive.  Some children actually look forward to going to the dentist!

To reduce acid in the mouth, some hygenists recommend eating cheese after eating sweets.  Chewing certain gums between meals, or when you don’t have access to your toothbrush, can be helpful in preventing tooth decay as well.  Xylitol, a natural sweetener, is a proven product that can help prevent caries and promote good overall oral health.