My kid loves to brush and doesn’t eat lots of sweets, why does he still get cavities?

Nobody wants their child to have cavities. But cavities happen. And when they do, people make
incorrect assumptions about you and your child. We will discuss situations when parents are doing
everything right but their child still gets cavities. So don’t feel bad, it is not always your fault. We also
have the solution to avoid people’s judgements. Keep reading.
Although brushing regularly and avoiding too much sugar are very important to good oral health,
cavities are much more complicated than that.
There are many parents who are scratching their heads wondering why their child is getting cavities
when they are doing everything they are supposed to. They feel terrible, as if they have let their
children down and that they are bad parents.
Do you know people who are always eating candy but have perfect teeth? These lucky folks fall on the
opposite end of the spectrum from those who do everything right and still get cavities. We will discuss
them in a bit. Just keep in mind that these two groups have something very important in common.
In this post we will cover a few groups who do all they can and their child still ends up with cavities. So,
no, you are NOT bad parents.

Below are a few of the most common reasons:

1) A Drinking Problem

Frequent drinking of sports drinks, Juice and milk cause cavities. Just
because the sugar in them is natural doesn’t mean they are safe. This
problem is easy to fix because all parents have to do is to make their
kids drink water. (Easier said than done, but at least possible!)

2) Underlying Medical Condition

Kids usually can’t take pills, when they are sick their medicine is in a
syrup. Many medical conditions require kids to take their syrupy
multiple times a day for many years; their teeth are covered in sugar
all day long. The parents are stressed because their child is ill, and
the child is usually tired of all the medicine they have to take. Is
brushing their teeth 5-6 times a day reasonable to expect? It is not
fair to compare this child’s dental routine to a healthy child’s.

3) Dry Mouth

There are many medications for common childhood conditions that
dry the mouth. Saliva is a huge protector of the teeth and when it
dries up, cavities go rampant. Medications for asthma, ADHD and
allergies are among the many examples that cause dry mouth. What
is worse, some kids will reach for sugary drinks to wet their dry
mouth. With low saliva, the sugar will stay on their teeth much
longer to create even more cavities.

4) No Spaces Between Kids Teeth

Kids with spaces between their teeth are lucky; they are less likely to
need braces later, and they get fewer cavities. The kids who do
everything right and still get cavities almost always get them
between their primary molars once the gaps close around age 4.
You can see in this x-ray the cavities are between the teeth, where
the teeth are touching.

5) Microbiology

Do you remember the lucky few who eat all the candy they want
and have perfect teeth? That is because they have fewer of the
bacteria that cause cavities. And the unlucky ones have more of the
bad bacteria. We know little about the behavior of bacterial
communities but thanks to recent advances in science, we are
learning quickly. What we do know is that there is little we can do
to change them. What IS effective is to permanently reducing our
sugar intake and practicing excellent oral hygiene.

But There is Hope!

Nobody needs to know your child ever had a cavity!!! Zirconia makes it possible! If
your child has visible cavities, you don’t have to suffer the embarrassment of other people’s opinions. If
there are 4 or less cavities, we would be glad to help you find a local pediatric dentist. If there are more
than 4 cavities, your options will be very limited. We can help; even if your child has cavities on all 20
teeth, we a make them all white.
If your dentist is recommending silver crowns for your child’s teeth, the Baby PRL Method may be just
the thing to help restore your child’s confidence and smile. All treatment is done in one visit, so you can
go back to your dentist for regular cleanings. We would be glad to speak with your dentist to introduce
them to BabyPRL. We work together with your dentist and we stand by our results.
Garland Pediatric Dentistry is the first office that offers BabyPRL. For more information about the Baby
PRL Method, please visit our website or make an appointment for a consultation with my team today.

Visit:: WWW.BABYRPL.COM
Email: Smile@BABYPRL.COM
Phone: (972)-674-9965

It has all the benefits of water plus vitamins and minerals that you need. Water has no taste! What about the ones that say “No Added Sugar“? These are frequent responses we get when we tell parents they should give their children water to drink.

Fruit juices slip under the radar for parents and don’t get the scrutiny that candy gets.  They come from fruits so they must be good for you.  We meet many parents who feel water would deprive their child of something beneficial in fruit juice.  Those parents frequently do not like to drink water either.

What is less frequently emphasized is that natural sugars have a very similar effect on the body as table sugar.  They cause cavities and spike the blood sugar wreaking havoc on almost every one of your organs, but since the effects are gradual we get distracted by more urgent matters like work, bills and Disneyland.

I think it is time to share with you a secret about dentists and their drinking habits; except for special occasions, water is the primary drink for them and their families.

The large marketing budgets of big beverage companies are hard to compete with, but I wanted to share with you warnings from 3 reputable sources against drinking too much fruit juice.  Below are articles from the American Dental Association, the Australian Dental Association and French Public Health authorities: 

The ADA (American Dental Association)says: Fruit juice is not a necessary or even a desirable part of a healthy diet for young children.  Ouch, it is not even desirable!

The ADA (Australian Dental Association) cites an article in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) that is even more blunt: Fruit juices may be as bad for peoples’ health as soft drinks .  Yes, that applies to adults too!

The best solution is to allow children to limit fruit juice drinking to special occasions only.  The main beverage should be water.  The link below is the recommendation of the French public health officials:

 Fruit juice intake has to be limited and other beverages restricted to occasional use

So be careful about what your kids drink.  If you want your child (and yourself!) to have a healthy body and healthy teeth Water should be their main beverage.  

Was your child diagnosed with multiple cavities? If so they may need dental crowns but you probably don’t want your child to have a mouth full of metal.  If your child needs more than four crowns, your dentist may not be able to treat them all with white crowns, but there is hope!

Most dentists offer white crowns for the four upper incisors.  If your child has more than 4 cavities and you don’t like metal teeth, we can help; we are able to use beautiful white zirconia on all 20 of your child’s teeth if necessary.  Email smile@babyprl.com , text or Call us at (972)674-9965 for a consult with Dr. Baghai to find out how white crowns can change your child‘s life.

Fillings are frequently used on kids. They look great, they cost less and they are placed in one visit.  So why is my dentist recommending a dental crown on a baby tooth?

The question comes up frequently in a pediatric dental office.  Parents are often surprised that a dentist would suggest a crown for a baby tooth.  They are reminded of horror stories about the cost, frequent visits and a painful recovery period but there is a big difference between the adult and the baby version.  Other than the fact that both cover the entire tooth, they have little else in common.

Let’s discuss each concern a parent may have about crowns on their child’s teeth:

“They are expensive“

Crowns on baby teeth cost about 75% less than adult crowns.  Crowns for baby teeth are pre-made and they take a lot less time to put on; that is why they cost similar to a filling than an adult crown.

“They take a long time“

Since crowns on baby teeth are pre-made, they are started and finished in the same visit.  As a matter of fact, they usually take less time than fillings to complete.  

“I don’t like the silver color“

We don’t either, especially on the front teeth!  The gold standard has been the stainless steel crown for many years but there are now white crowns that look as good as natural teeth. Nobody has to know your child ever had a cavity any more

“But I still want a filling, why get a crown when a filling sounds good enough?“ 

The main reason is durability.  Especially when the cavity is between the teeth or if it has damaged large parts of the tooth.  In these cases fillings often fall out and leave a bigger hole than the original cavity.  The fastest way to traumatize a kid is to make them think every time they go to the dentist they will have to get another tooth fixed.  

“How can baby teeth be different? They are all teeth!“

Fillings just don’t bond to baby teeth as well as they do to adult teeth. They are chemically and morphologically very different.  You may read further by clicking on the following three scientific articles.  They explain the poor bond strength of white fillings to baby teeth:

1. White fillings bond better to permanent than to primary teeth
2. The differences between primary & permanent teeth causes poor bond strength of white fillings
3.  The primary enamel is thinner and has less Calcium and Phosphorus 

So if more than one dentist is recommending crowns for your child, then fillings may cause more trouble for you in the long-run.  Your child will certainly not appreciate the repeat visits when the fillings start to fall out.

But don’t worry; silver dental crowns are not the only option for your child’s smile! Using beautiful white zirconia crowns we can make sure nobody can tell your child ever had a cavity, even if your child has cavities on all 20 teeth.  Call us today at (972)764-9965 for a free consultation with Dr. Baghai.