Dental Sealants for Children and How Their Diet Can Impact the Development of Cavities

Let’s be realistic – kids are prone to cavities more than adults. A lot of this has to do with habitual behavior, including temptations for sugary sweet foods and a lack of desire for brushing and flossing. It is not easy for parents to instill the importance of good oral hygiene in children. When a child needs an extra layer of protection for their teeth, Dr. Daniel Bearley and the team at Bearley Dental in Charlottesville, Virginia, can provide dental sealants for children. Dental sealants offer many benefits, including sealing a tooth and providing extra protection, which helps prevent cavities. Another way you can protect your child’s teeth is by helping them develop good dietary habits. But there are some other facts you may not really know. 

Sweets Are Not the Only Cause of Cavities

It is not just candy and sweets which negatively impact a child’s teeth. Any food with fermentable carbs – carbs that are broken down to simple sugars in your child’s mouth – can be a source of food for cavity-causing bacteria. This includes starchy and processed foods like potato chips, white bread, and other foods made from processed flour.

It’s Frequency, Not Amount

It has been found that it is not the amount of sugar a child eats that impacts their teeth but how often sugary foods are consumed. The more time these foods spend in a child’s mouth, the higher the chance for cavities to develop. That isn’t to say that eating a large, sweet dessert after dinner each night will not have a negative impact, but it is far worse to eat candy and sweets on and off throughout an entire day. Foods such as hard candies or sticky foods such as toffee are worse than foods consumed quickly, like yogurt (even those with higher levels of sugar).

These are just a couple of things you, as a parent, may not have realized when it comes to helping develop healthy dietary habits in your child.

When a child’s teeth need that extra layer of protection, a dental sealant will do the trick! To schedule an appointment with Dr. Bearley, please call (434) 443-8034.

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