Kids Dental Online - Plano & Carrollton

Pediatric Kids Dentist Plano Carrollton

Plano Office
3001 N Dallas Parkway, Suite B
Plano, TX 75093
Phone: 972-378-5437
       
Carrollton Office
1912 E Hebron Parkway, Suite 104
Carrollton, TX 75007
Phone: 972-394-2140
  • Home
  • Our Team
    • What is a Pediatric Dentist?
    • Meet Our Team of Pediatric Dentists
    • Jeffrey D. Holt, DDS, MS
    • Moisa Sapozhnikov, DDS
    • Mindy Li, DDS
    • Nathan Cotten, DDS, MS – Orthodontist
    • Dental Hygienists
  • Dental Topics
    • Toothaches in Children
    • Pulp Therapy in Children
    • Bruxism is Teeth Grinding or Jaw Clenching in Children
    • Tongue Thrusting in Children
    • Baby Dental Topics
      • Baby Bottle Tooth Decay
      • Dental Hygiene For Babies And Toddlers
      • Stages of Teething and Helpful Hints
      • Thumb Sucking and Pacifiers “Non-nutritive Sucking Habits”
    • Can Oral Piercings Affect Your Teeth?
    • Oral Hygiene
      • Dental Cavities and How to Prevent Them
      • Bad Breath in Children
      • Dental Fluoride Treatments in Children
      • Dental Sealants Prevent Cavities in Children
      • Dental Treatment for Tooth Decay
      • Oral Health and Gum Disease
      • Enamel Hypoplasia/Enamel Defect
      • Eating Healthy to Promote Strong Teeth in Children
      • Foods That Stain Teeth
      • Soda Drinking and Its Effect on Teeth
      • Sports Drinks Can Be Harmful to Teeth
      • Vaping Can Affect Oral Health
        • How Can Vaping Affect My Teen’s Oral Health?
      • Permanent Tooth Eruption In Children
    • White Dental Crowns for Kids
    • Is Teeth Whitening Safe For Children?
    • Wisdom Teeth
      • Over-Retained Primary Teeth (Baby Teeth)
        • Treating Over-Retained Primary Teeth (Baby Teeth)
    • Hyperdontia Supernumerary Teeth
    • Hypodontia (Missing Teeth)
    • Canker Sores (Aphthous Ulcers)
      • Treating Canker Sores (Aphthous Ulcers)
    • Tips & Safety
      • Eating Disorders Can Affect Kid’s Teeth
      • Preventing and Treating Oral Damage from Eating Disorders
      • Xylitol Dental Benefits
      • Choosing the Best Toothpaste for Children
      • Dental Emergencies
      • Dental Health Resources
      • Dental Sedation
      • Healthy Eating
      • Motivating Your Child to Brush Their Teeth
      • Mouth Guards Prevent Dental Injury in Sports
      • Pediatric Dental X-rays (Radiography) and Safety
    • Dental Emergencies
    • Orthodontics
      • Why Young Kids Need Braces
      • Types of Braces
      • Orthodontic Daily Care
        • Caring for Braces
        • How do you care for braces
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      • Jaw Surgery for Orthodontics (Maxilla and Mandible)
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Dental Cavities & How to Prevent Them

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), early childhood caries, or dental cavities, are amid the most common health problems in the United States, increasing at a level that can only be described as epidemic in oral healthcare. In school-aged children, toothaches in children has become one of the top health problems seen daily by school nurses. Untreated tooth decay caused by cavities can produce speech problems, difficulty with chewing, and impaired nutrition, which can impact overall health. Fortunately, dental cavities can be prevented and even reversed through proper oral hygiene and regular professional dental care. Learn more about dental healthcare in our pediatric dental topics section.

What are Dental Cavities?

dental plaque and dental cavities and How to Prevent ThemCavities are indelible damaged spots in the hard surface of the teeth that progress into small or large holes that can only be repaired by a dentist. Cavities are also called caries and are essentially decay of the teeth resulting from a possible amalgamation of factors, involving constant snacking, drinking sugary drinks, bacteria in the mouth, and insufficient teeth cleaning. Cavities are particularly seen in young children and teenagers, but even infants can develop cavities if proper oral hygiene is not practiced.

If left untreated by a dentist, cavities grow larger and deeper into the multiple layers of the teeth. Tooth decay spreads, and can lead to infection, extreme dental pain, and loss of the affected teeth.

What Causes Dental Cavities and How Do They Progress?

Tooth decay preempts and produces cavities, which must be repaired by a dentist. Cavities do not just ‘pop up.’ Tooth decay is a process that transpires and progresses over a period of time. The process of tooth decay and the forming of cavities can be broken down into a few different steps:

  1. Plaque Build Up—Inside of the mouth, many natural types of bacteria exist. Some bacteria are healthy and some are detrimental if allowed to grow in the mouth. Certain types of detrimental bacteria prosper when food and drinks that contain particular kinds of sugars are not properly cleaned off of the surface of the teeth. When this happens, the bacteria begin feeding rapidly on these sugars and generate acids. This enables the bacteria to produce bacterial plaque, which is a sticky film that coats the teeth and can be felt when a person runs his or her tongue across the surface of the teeth. This plaque may feel especially prominent on the backs of teeth near the gum line. If this plaque is not cleaned off while soft, it grows hard, becomes tough to remove, and houses bacteria.
  2. Plaque Damages Teeth—Built up plaque on the surface of the teeth contains acid that demineralizes the hard protective outer tooth surface called enamel. Deterioration of the enamel leads to holes in the enamel, which is the beginning stage of cavities. As spots of enamel are eroded away, acid and bacteria moves to a deeper layer of the teeth called Dentin, which is more susceptible to acid and more pliant than enamel.
  3. Decay and Destruction—As tooth decay progresses, acid and bacteria continue to move deeper and deeper through the inner pulp matter of the teeth, which houses blood vessels and nerves. Due to the bacteria, the pulp becomes aggravated and swells, which likely results in severe dental pain, sensitivity to hot and cold foods or drinks and when biting, and other possible symptoms. When decay is allowed to progress to this stage, the body’s white blood cells may fight the infection by attacking the foreign bacteria. This can lead to an abscess of the tooth, which is an infected pocket of pus and a serious and painful dental issue.

Signs and Symptoms of Dental Cavities

Depending on the level of decay and the location of cavities, different signs and symptoms may arise. As a cavity is first forming, symptoms may not occur at all, but as a cavity becomes bigger, signs and symptoms such as these may materialize:

  • White, brown, or black spots anywhere on the surface of a tooth.
  • Tooth sensitivity.
  • Tooth pain, especially when biting down.
  • Slight to sever pain when eating or drinking something cold, hot, or sweet.
  • Small or large holes in the teeth visible to the naked eye.
  • If experiencing any of these symptoms, a person should make an appointment with the dentist immediately.

How To Prevent Dental Cavities

It may be difficult to know if a cavity is forming, so it is extremely important for kids to visit the dentist as directed and regularly for dental check ups and teeth cleanings. Kids are recommended to visit the dentist every six months for a regular check up and cleaning. The key to preventing cavities however, is good oral and dental hygiene at home as well. Below are some helpful hints for maintaining proper oral hygiene:

Brush teeth with fluoride toothpaste after eating and drinking—Kids should brush their teeth twice a day, once in the morning once at night before bed. It is even better, however, to brush teeth after every meal, using toothpaste that contains fluoride. If it is not possible to brush teeth after eating, rinsing the mouth out with water is recommended. For young children, ask the dentist how much fluoride containing toothpaste to use on the toothbrush for each cleaning. Young children should not be exposed to too much fluoride.

Visit the dentist regularly and consider dental sealants—Professional oral exams and teeth cleanings help prevent and pinpoint problems early. A child should visit the dentist according to the schedule the dentist recommends for the best care and prevention. Also the CDC recommends dental sealants for all school-aged children. Sealants are protective coatings applied by the dentist to protect the teeth from acid and plaque.

  • Drink tap water—Typically tap water includes added fluoride, which aids in protecting against tooth decay tremendously.
  • Fluoride treatments—Consider professional intermittent fluoride treatments, recommended by the dentist, especially if a child is not receiving enough fluoridated tap water.
  • Avoid continual sipping and snacking—When a child snacks constantly throughout the day or continually sips drinks other than water, the teeth are under constant assault by acids formed by mouth bacteria. Avoid or limit foods and drinks that are extremely sugary and/or get stuck between the crannies and grooves of the teeth.
  • Use mouth rinses if recommended—If a dentist feels a child is at high risk for tooth decay, he or she may endorse the use of a fluoridated mouth rinse. Also, for some children who are particularly susceptible, the dentist may recommend certain antibacterial mouth rinses to diminish unhealthy bacteria in the mouth.

At Kids Dental, we offer comprehensive, family-centered pediatric dental care in a child-friendly nurturing environment. If you are looking for a place to call your dental home, please schedule a consultation with one of our pediatric dentists by completing an Online Appointment Request or calling either office.

Kids Dental Locations Appointment Request

Plano Office Phone: 972-378-5437

Carrollton Office Phone: 972-394-2140

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Archives

Kids Dental

Plano and Carrollton, Texas

Pediatric Dentists

  • Dr. Jeffrey Holt
  • Dr. Moisa Sapozhnikov
  • Dr. Mindy Li

Orthodontist

Dr. Nathan Cotten

Plano Office

Kids Dental Plano
3001 N Dallas Parkway, Suite B
Plano, Texas 75093

Phone: 972-378-5437

Carrollton Office

Kids Dental Carrollton
1912 E Hebron Parkway, Suite 104

Carrollton, Texas 75007

Phone: 972-394-2140

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