The Bolton news reported recently that more under 10s are being admitted to hospital with tooth decay than broken arms. Broken arms are, more often than not, the result of an accident and in many cases unexpected. Tooth decay in under 10s who don’t regularly visit a Bolton dentist is, on the other hand, entirely expected.

All your children have to do to avoid tooth decay is visit the dentist at least once a year and brush their teeth twice daily.  Here at the Harwood Dental Practice in Bolton, we see many child patients who are suffering from the early stages of tooth decay.

In fact, a National Smile Month Survey reported that a third of UK children are beginning school already displaying some effects of tooth decay. Could this be because such a huge percentage of parents are not visiting the dentist themselves and because of this, also not bothering to take their children to the dentist?

If this sounds like you, you could be setting your kids up for a lifetime of unhealthy teeth and an unattractive smile, which is unfortunate for them because attractive smiles have been proven to be instrumental in successful love lives and getting a promotion at work.

There’s also the more serious consequences of having teeth and gums which are not adequately cared for; not only tooth loss, but also gum disease. Gum disease, when left untreated has been linked to heart disease, strokes and diabetes. Minimal effort is required on your part to ensure that your children’s teeth remain healthy. You simply need to join our Bolton practice and let us take care of your teeth on your behalf.

What causes tooth decay

Tooth decay occurs when the remnants of your last meal are not throughly brushed away, leaving food deposits on your teeth. Acids in the food deposits then attack your tooth enamel. If your children like to eat sweets and are not properly brushing the sugar off them, then this can greatly increase the risk of tooth decay, as sugar is particularly harmful to teeth. Are you sure that your children are brushing their teeth thoroughly enough?

How we can help your child

We will show your children how to brush their teeth properly and we’ll also explain why this is important in words they’ll understand. If your child is already experiencing early stage tooth decay, we’ll do our best to clean up their teeth and make sure they’re protected. We can also offer advice on which sorts of foods and drinks are more likely to harm teeth.

For a family appointment with your local Harwood, Bolton dentist, please get in touch to join our practice. We welcome all new patients; adults and children.

You can also read more about protecting your child’s teeth in one of our other blogs.