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Protecting your child’s smile can mean many things. For example, teaching them to stick to good dental hygiene principles will help protect them from heightened risks of common dental concerns. Visiting the dentist regularly is important to protecting their teeth and smiles from things that might not be obvious at first. If your child’s teeth become especially vulnerable or susceptible to something like cavity development, then protecting their smile can mean receiving a conservative preventive dental treatment to strengthen their teeth and reduce that risk.

Keeping their teeth clean during routine visits

The reason cavities are such a common concern is because the cause behind their development is an everyday threat to your child’s teeth. Cavities, which are caused by tooth decay, form when oral bacteria accumulate excessively on the surfaces of your child’s teeth. These bacteria produce acids that weaken your child’s tooth enamel and expose its main structure to harmful oral bacteria. The key to preventing this from occurring is to keep your child’s teeth clean, which is the point of teaching them to brush and floss their teeth consistently every day. It’s also important to visit the dentist regularly for professional cleanings, during which your child’s dentist can successfully remove calcified plaque (tartar) from their teeth.

Applying fluoride to strengthen their tooth enamel

Cleaning plaque and tartar from your child’s teeth consistently is important to preventing bacteria from building up enough to lead to cavities. However, sometimes, it may take more than that to successfully protect your child’s teeth from cavities, especially if their enamel has already grown weak by the time they visit the dentist. To protect weak tooth enamel and lower the risks of cavity development, we may suggest applying fluoride treatment to your child’s teeth, which can bond to your child’s tooth enamel and strengthen it when it’s weak.

Using dental sealants to protect their teeth

Boosting the strength of your child’s tooth enamel when it’s grown weak is just one way we can help your child avoid heightened risks of cavity development. Another may be the application of biocompatible dental sealants, which are designed to provide a barrier that stops oral bacteria from interacting with your child’s teeth. Dental sealants can give your child’s teeth a necessary reprieve from the harmful substances that oral bacteria produce, significantly reducing their risks of experiencing cavity development.

Learn more about protecting your child’s teeth

Though cavities might be a common concern for children, the right preventive measures can go a long way in protecting your child’s teeth from them. To learn more, or to schedule a consultation, call Cedar Dental in Cedar Rapids, IA, today at (319) 364-7108.