Are some children more susceptible to rotten teeth than others?
More and more often, the bright smiles that we see in the playground are being dulled by yellowed and decaying teeth. These smiles that were once the proud talk of many parents are now hushed discussions behind closed doors of the dentist.
How did children’s teeth go from being blindingly white in past generations, to becoming dull, yellowed and in some extreme cases rotten, in this one?
It is tooth decay.
What is tooth decay?
Tooth decay or ‘caries’ is the breakdown of a small patch of softened enamel at the tooth’s surface. These can be often hidden from sight in the grooves of the teeth or in between the teeth. This decay spreads into the softer, sensitive part of the tooth beneath the enamel and then the weakened enamel collapses to form a cavity.
What causes tooth decay?
Caries is formed by bacteria (Mutans streptococci) in the mouth that feed on sugars from foods and drinks. These bacteria produce acid which damages the enamel of the tooth. Saliva repairs this damage, but if over time, there is more damage than a repair, it leaves a cavity or ‘hole’ in the tooth. In children, the upper four front baby teeth are the most commonly affected.
There are other names that refer to this condition such as ‘nursing bottle caries’, ‘infant feeding caries’ and ‘baby bottle decay’. These names are used because the evidence suggests that early childhood caries can occur if babies are settled to sleep with a bottle of milk or formula (or other sweet drinks). Milk can pool in the mouth and the lactose sugar in milk feeds the bacteria that cause decay as the baby sleeps. Saliva flow is low during sleep, and so does not protect against the damage.
Early childhood caries might also occur if toddlers constantly sip on sweet drinks, such as fruit juices, cordials or pop, during the day. Avoid sugary foods and drinks, especially between meals.
Can genetics affect my child’s susceptibility to tooth decay?
There is a genetic component in almost everything from parents to their children. However, for cavities, it’s mainly an environmental component — the environment that the teeth are in. Most often a child has cavity-causing bacteria that has been passed down from the parent. Those cavity-causing bacteria are often passed from mom to baby during infancy, for example, a parent sucking on a baby’s dummy before giving it to them. Also in some cases from sibling to sibling, for example, sharing a piece of food.
So it’s actually the bacteria that we pass down to our children that cause decay and not so much genetics.
There is another component that can influence the susceptibility of a child to tooth decay and it is their propensity to having a ‘sweet tooth’ compared to a ‘savoury tooth’. Children with a ‘sweet tooth’ that crave sweet things like, pop, candy, juice or cordial are more likely to get carries than the child who prefers a more savoury snack or meal.
How parents prevent caries in their children’s teeth.
Parents have a direct influence on the health of their children’s mouths and teeth.
Some things that parents can do to reduce caries are:
- Limit their child’s consumption of sweet and sugary drinks and foods, especially between meals
- Don’t give babies bottles of milk, juice or cordial to take to bed
- Don’t share food off the same spoon or suck on their dummy. This limits bacterial transference from parents mouth to the child’s
- Brush the child’s teeth twice daily with a recommended child’s toothpaste
- Floss regularly
- Visit their dentist biannually
With the knowledge of what tooth decay is, what causes it and how to reduce or prevent it, parents can, with greater understanding, limit its effects on their child’s teeth.
