Dental caries are soft slowly decaying areas in teeth and for many of us they start when we are children. As parents, it is our responsibility to help our children avoid them. For the most part, we do a reasonably good job. Some parents, however, are either too lazy or simply don’t care. So what causes the dental caries in our children’s teeth?

Failing to establish a dental care program early in life - children need to learn to look after their teeth. They need to be taught how to brush, when to brush and what products to use when brushing.

Not providing regular dental checks – children need to have their teeth checked just as regularly as adults. By visiting a dentist from an early age, they learn fairly quickly that a dentist is not someone to be afraid of.

Eating and drinking the wrong foods – a child’s diet has a huge effect on their teeth. Providing them with sweet sugary drinks prior to going to bed is a big no-no. So too are sweets and soft drinks. You don’t have to deprive your child of these products, however, they do need to learn to rinse and/or brush after consuming them. Plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, can help to build strong teeth.

The adult teeth we grow in our early years are the only teeth we have. Once they have gone, they can only be replaced by expensive and often uncomfortable artificial teeth. Rather than producing the next generation of dental caries, produce a generation of strong pearly white teeth. Your children will thank you one day!

Tags: Dental Care, dental care for children