Protecting Children From Cavities and Tooth Rot
When it comes to our children, we are taught to be hyper vigilant of strangers, we’ve found the best way to buckle them into car seats, and we watch dogs and other animals with hawk-like alertness when our children are infants, but there are some dangers that creep up on us. One of them is your child’s oral health and dentistry. Many people are still under the false impression that your first visit to the dentist can happen at a few years old, to the contrary, it shouldn’t happen later than the one-year-old mark.
At Bluff Creek Dental in Chanhassen, we want to help you fight early childhood dental decay, otherwise known as Early Childhood Caries or the presence of one or more decayed, filled, or missing teeth before the age of 71 months. Come visit us for your child’s first or future pediatric dentists’ appointment in the Minneapolis area.
What Is Early Childhood Caries?
Early Childhood Caries, or ECC, is essentially just a more official medical term for the presence of missing or decayed teeth in children, but really it’s so much more than that. It’s never a good time to lose your teeth, but in old age, you’ve already reaped much of the benefits that come with having good teeth. ECC is a chronic condition, so the worse the problem is, the more likely others are to occur. It’s a hindrance on your child’s well being and can be tied to everything from malnutrition to lower self esteem and economic status.
The Very Real Risk of Oral Health Decay
Cavities have a tendency to be shrugged off, “Everybody’s had one or two,” seems to be the prevailing sentiment, but if they aren’t addressed, they do lead to bigger problems. This is particularly true in children, however, because their teeth are still developing and the stunting of your teeth can lead to stunting in other areas of the body. Likewise, when adults lose a tooth, they begin to take things a little more seriously, but when children lose a tooth because of decay, then their oral decay has reached a point that both they and the parent may struggle to fight. When your child loses a tooth to decay or has cavities at an early age you open them up to:
- Increased risk of tooth decay, cavities, tooth loss, bone loss in the jaw, infections, and other oral health problems in the future; possibly even death from infection
- Easier transmission of oral diseases
- More difficult feeding for infants
- High-cost dental work
Protect Your Child With Bluff Creek Dental
At Bluff Creek Dental, our family care dentists provide exceptional pediatric dental care and we want to make sure that your child gets the best. If your child hasn’t had their first appointment and is approaching one-year-old, or if you’ve noticed white spots or discoloration of your child’s teeth, we urge you to book today. When you bring in your infant or toddler, we’ll educate you on how to best protect their teeth, give them their initial cleanings, begin to repair any damage already done, and set your child up with success in their oral health. Contact us today to set up an appointment if you live in Minneapolis or Chanhassen!