Fluoridated Kansas since 1983
With all the fancy fluoride treatments and preventive measures available to kids today, it may come as a surprise to learn that 40 percent of children have cavities by age 3, KMBC's Kelly Eckerman reported.
Raul Gonzales, 9, is not new to the dentist's chair. His mother said she learned early on that Raul is prone to cavities.
"He went to the dentist for the first time when he was 3, and he already had 3 cavities -- more than I expected. I didn't even known he had cavities," Sarah Gonzales said. Age 3 may sound young, but 12 months old is actually the recommendation for the first dental visit."That appointment is mainly for education and to see how the child is doing, and to educate parents how to take care of the baby teeth because the baby teeth are very important," Dr. Brenda Bohaty said.
Preventing cavities is more than just brushing. Eckerman reported that three things play a role: the level of bacteria in the mouth, diet, and how you clean and floss.
Dental sealants are a popular way to help prevent cavities, but that alone is not enough, Eckerman reported.
"Many times the cavities don't occur just in those grooves or tops of teeth, and occur between teeth. Those are surfaces we can't get to with sealants. Then you're looking at the need to floss, consider fluoride and limiting sugary snacks," Bohaty said.
Doctors said that parents should keep regular checkups and should not depend on their children telling them about a problem."It has happened where he goes for a cleaning and he either had a cavity and had to come back in a week or two to get it filled, or he had a root canal and had to come back in a couple of weeks to have that taken care of. So the dentist is very familiar with us. They know us very well," Gonzales said.
Bohaty said parents should supervise children's brushing. She said it takes practice and adequate motor skills before children can clean teeth effectively by themselves.
Raul Gonzales, 9, is not new to the dentist's chair. His mother said she learned early on that Raul is prone to cavities.
"He went to the dentist for the first time when he was 3, and he already had 3 cavities -- more than I expected. I didn't even known he had cavities," Sarah Gonzales said. Age 3 may sound young, but 12 months old is actually the recommendation for the first dental visit."That appointment is mainly for education and to see how the child is doing, and to educate parents how to take care of the baby teeth because the baby teeth are very important," Dr. Brenda Bohaty said.
Preventing cavities is more than just brushing. Eckerman reported that three things play a role: the level of bacteria in the mouth, diet, and how you clean and floss.
Dental sealants are a popular way to help prevent cavities, but that alone is not enough, Eckerman reported.
"Many times the cavities don't occur just in those grooves or tops of teeth, and occur between teeth. Those are surfaces we can't get to with sealants. Then you're looking at the need to floss, consider fluoride and limiting sugary snacks," Bohaty said.
Doctors said that parents should keep regular checkups and should not depend on their children telling them about a problem."It has happened where he goes for a cleaning and he either had a cavity and had to come back in a week or two to get it filled, or he had a root canal and had to come back in a couple of weeks to have that taken care of. So the dentist is very familiar with us. They know us very well," Gonzales said.
Bohaty said parents should supervise children's brushing. She said it takes practice and adequate motor skills before children can clean teeth effectively by themselves.
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