Are You Passing Cavities On to Your Baby?

Have you ever heard the warnings about not sharing saliva with your baby? It includes not sharing utensils, toothbrushes, or food. That means you can’t cut your grapes in half with your teeth, you can’t use spit from your mouth to clean the crud from your baby, and you can’t blow on your baby’s food to cool it off – or even taste it first yourself. Each of these actions can spread your saliva to your baby.

If you’ve heard these warnings you probably thought it was silly. You may have thought it didn’t really matter. As it turns out, it could matter a great deal.

Cavities aren’t contagious but bacteria is

If you have a cavity you can’t spread that cavity to your child but you can spread cavity-causing bacteria, including the most common: Mutans streptococci or MS. In some infants, this bacteria is found in their mouths within the first few months of their lives and studies have shown that the primary way they get it is from their mothers.

But does it really matter? According to a recent study, of kids that had MS by two years of age, almost 90% of them had their first cavity before they turned four years old. Compare that to kids who didn’t get MS until they were three or four: Only 36% of them had cavities by the time they were four. This study makes it clear that just delaying the colonization of this bacteria can help protect your kiddos from future tooth decay.

Cavities in kids are more important thank you may think

Even with this information you may be wondering: Why does it matter if babies get cavities? After all, their baby teeth are going to fall out either way. That may be true but at California Dental Group we want to emphasize that there are many other reasons to prevent cavities in your children:

• Cavities hurt!
• If your child requires significant dental work then general anesthesia may be required.
• Your child needs healthy teeth to chew and speak correctly.
• Kids who get cavities are at a higher risk for cavities when they’re older.
• If a baby tooth is lost completely to decay, the spacing of their permanent teeth could be at risk.

Is it time for your child to get a dental checkup?

At California Dental Group we’re proud to provide comprehensive family dental services”. Whether you need significant dental work done or just a checkup, we’re happy to see you and your child. We recommend bringing your children to the dentist when they’re young. It can help prevent fear of dentists later in life and we can assure that their oral health is excellent from day one.

To make an appointment with California Dental Group, give us a call at (800) 407-0161. We look forward to meeting you and your family!