Did you know that, in a study done in 2015-2016, 43% of children aged 2-19 had cavities. This may seem like an incredibly high number, but this number is actually lower than it was previous years. It used to be 50% of children! There are a lot of factors that can contribute to cavities, such as genetic factors, but luckily, cavities are 100% preventable. With the odds of your child getting a cavity being so high, you should definitely take a few minutes to assess your child’s current dental habits. Here are a few of the most common causes of cavities in children!
Not brushing twice a day
We all know that we’re supposed to brush our teeth twice a day, for two minutes each time. And yet, somehow, those 4 minutes per day can be a pain to enforce when it comes to your children. Especially when it comes to young children, we can forget to have our children brush their teeth in the morning, only remembering at night before bed. It is so important that they brush twice a day. You can have them brush their teeth with you, to help them get in the habit in the mornings.
Not drinking enough water
Did you know that teeth can get dehydrated? A common cause of tooth decay is a lack of water in your diet. Not only this, but if you’re not drinking enough water, it’s probably because you’re drinking something with a higher sugar content instead, like juice or soda. Those sugary substances fuel cavities. Saliva is made up from 99% water, and your saliva naturally helps keep your teeth clean and hydrated throughout the day.
Consuming too much sugar
Of course, one of the biggest cavity culprits, is sugar. When you eat sugar, the bad bacteria in your mouth can feed off of that sugar, wearing down your enamel. If you limit the amount of sugar your child eats, you will help keep their enamel strong, which means less cavities you have to pay to fill.
