If your child seems prone to cavities, his or her dentist may have already applied dental sealants to the chewing surfaces of the youngster's molars. In addition, your child may have received fluoride treatments to help remineralize weak areas in his or her tooth enamel. Still, there are small changes that you can employ at home to help protect your child's teeth:

Choose tea over soda

Most children love soda, but the sugar and acid in the sweet drink can wreak havoc on teeth. The sugar is the food of choice for most oral bacteria. As the bacteria feed on the simple carbohydrates, they emit acid that erodes tooth enamel to cause dental decay. In addition, the high acid content of the soda helps dissolve the minerals in the teeth.

Tea is still favored by most youngsters, but it has proven benefits. In fact, one study suggests that three or four cups of black tea a day can have an antimicrobial effect on cavity-causing bacteria.

Offer gum sweetened with xylitol after meals

Sugarless gum helps encourage saliva production to wash away plaque and bacteria from the mouth. However, gum sweetened with xylitol has additional advantages. Xylitol has been found to lessen the risk of dental caries. It also helps remineralize your child's teeth. One study shows that when demineralized tooth enamel is placed in a remineralizing solution that contains 20 percent xylitol, the decaying tooth enamel displayed a greater degree of repair than enamel that was placed in a remineralizing solution with no xylitol.

Have your child rinse his or her mouth with water after meals

The pH of pure water is neutral, so it doesn't add to the acid in your child's mouth. In addition, if your child rinses with tap water, the water contains fluoride.

Fluoride helps remineralize the teeth by coating the surface of the tooth enamel and attracting calcium and phosphate back to the teeth. It also increases the acid sensitivity of cavity-causing bacteria, so the microorganisms are unable to feed and produce more tooth-decaying acid.

If your child has already had several cavities, you may be searching for ways to help protect his or her teeth. Although brushing and flossing are still the primary ways to discourage dental decay at home, there are additional measures you can take, such as those listed above. In addition, be sure to have your child visit his or her dentist, such as Plaza Family Dentistry, regularly. If your child has not visited his or her dentist within the past six months, schedule an appointment today.

Share