What causes tooth decay in children? Help you find out these 4 culprits!

Children are at high risk of tooth decay, which is more likely to occur in pits and fissures, tooth necks, and adjacent faces. If teeth are not properly cleaned, food debris and bacteria can become trapped in the teeth, and plaque can accumulate more and more, eventually leading to tooth decay. Tooth decay in children does not happen overnight, and there are 4 important factors for its formation: time, food, bacteria and teeth.

How are tooth decay formed in children?

1. Food

The type of food a child eats and the frequency of meals can affect tooth decay.Many children like to eat cakes or biscuits, and food debris tends to adhere to the surface of the tooth and is not easy to remove, which is suitable for bacterial growth and reproduction. Bacteria make full use of these foods to produce acids that can corrode teeth. In particular, eating too often can cause bacteria to keep producing acid, which can damage your teeth. Therefore, it is necessary for children to develop a good habit of brushing their teeth in the morning and evening, insist on flossing after each brush to remove food residues between the teeth and the surface of the teeth, and pay attention to the type of food, and not eat too sticky and sweet food. Parents should control their children's intake of sweet foods, arrange three meals a day reasonably, eat less snacks, eat more foods containing dietary fiber such as whole grains, vegetables and low-sugar fruits, and brush their teeth and rinse their mouths in time after each meal.

2. Bacteria

There are a large number of bacteria on the surface of the teeth, and the bacteria accumulate together and multiply gradually, which is called plaque. The best way to remove plaque is to brush your child's teeth every morning and evening, which can remove food debris and plaque from the mouth in time, shorten the time that bacteria stay on the tooth surface, and reduce the risk of tooth decay.

3. Teeth

Fluorine strengthens the tooth structure and resists the attack of acids. Parents can take their children to the hospital regularly to apply fluoride to the tooth surface to strengthen the tooth structure.There are many cracks on the surface of children's molars, food is easy to remain in the cracks, and the toothbrush cannot completely enter the cracks to clean, so it is called a high-risk site of tooth decay. Parents may wish to take their children for pit and fissure sealing, that is, using dental materials to seal the pit and fissure fissures, which can reduce the incidence of tooth decay.

4. Time

It takes a certain amount of time for bacteria to break down food debris on the surface of the teeth to form tooth decay, so rinsing or brushing your teeth immediately after eating can remove most of the food debris on the surface of your teeth and shorten the time that food stays on the surface of your teeth. However, babies under the age of one and a half need to be fed frequently at night, and the tooth surface is not effectively cleaned after feeding, which will prolong the retention time of milk stains in the teeth and increase the chance of tooth decay. Therefore, after the child is teething at 6 months, the frequency of night feedings should be slowly reduced.

Tips

Parents should let their children develop good eating habits and add a variety of complementary foods on time. Eating more foods containing dietary fibre, rough and hard foods can effectively rub and clean the tooth surface, and can reduce food debris. In particular, hard foods need to be chewed well to not only strengthen the periodontal tissues, but also to rub the bite surface of the teeth.