What Causes Cavities: A Kid-Friendly Guide

What Are Cavities?

Imagine your teeth as sturdy castle walls. These walls shield the inside of the castle from “sugar bugs” that live nearby. These sugar bugs are tricky and attempt to invade the castle by creating holes in the walls. When these walls have holes, it weakens the structure, making it easier to get damaged. These holes made by the sugar bugs are what we call cavities.

Here is how it happens:

Sugar and Food: Eating sugary foods like candies, cookies, or soda sends an invitation to the sugar bugs to come to a party on your teeth. They love feasting on sugar!

Plaque Attack: After eating sweets, a sticky film called “plaque” sticks to your teeth. Plaque is a perfect hiding spot for sugar bugs.

Sugar Bugs Party: The sugar bugs start to eat sugar in plaque and have a big feast on the teeth. As they munch, they produce acid. Acid is like the sugar bugs’ superpower that makes holes in the outer layers of the teeth.

Tooth Damage: If the sugar bugs and plaque are not removed quickly, these holes can start reaching more inner layers of the tooth. Once the holes reach a certain layer, they are considered cavities.

But do not worry! These sugar bugs are not invincible. The proper defense team can banish the sugar bugs from your kingdom.

Here are the best defense tools to protect your smile:

Toothbrush & Toothpaste: Your toothbrush and toothpaste are like a knight’s sword and shield. Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to chase the sugar bugs away and protect your smile from future tooth decay.

Floss: Sugar bugs might think they are safe hiding between the teeth, but they are no match for floss. Floss removes bits of food, plaque, and sugar bugs between teeth.

Healthy Eating: Sugar bugs have a real sweet tooth and tend to steer clear of healthy foods. Fruits, vegetables, and cheese do not attract many sugar bugs.

Dentist Visits: Every castle needs maintenance workers. Your dental provider can clean your teeth, check for signs of tooth decay, and fix any cavities that may have snuck into your smile.

Now that you know how cavities work and how to protect your teeth from pesky sugar bugs, we will dig a little deeper into how cavities can impact the health of our mouths. Cavities are not like getting a scrape on your knee, which does not need outside help to heal. While most parts of the body can repair themselves, teeth cannot. So, if a cavity sneaks into your smile, it will stay until a dentist fixes it.

When cavities first develop, many people do not notice any changes to their mouths. However, as cavities grow, they can make eating, playing, and even smiling painful. Cavities can also progress to more serious dental issues and infections, which require long, uncomfortable dental treatments to fix. Nobody wants to spend hours in a dental chair, especially kids!

Follow the tips outlined in this blog to keep your smile healthy and scare away any sugar bugs. With the right tools and habits, you can keep your teeth sparkling for years to come. So, keep up with your dental defenses, and you will be on your way to a cavity-free kingdom!