What is Pediatric Dental Disease?
Who wouldn’t want to give their children the best possible chances for good health and happiness? As a parent and caregiver, you have access to a tremendous amount of information and advice that can help you to position your children for lifelong success. In addition to nurturing your child’s intelligence and ensuring his or her safety, protecting your child’s health and wellness is a top priority.
By partnering with your pediatric dentist in Charlotte, NC, you can begin to learn more about preventing America’s most common chronic childhood illness. Your efforts in fighting this disease are critical to your child’s overall health.
Pediatric dental disease, otherwise known as tooth decay or cavities, is a completely preventable infection that affects more than 4 million children each year. Tooth decay is even more prevalent than both asthma and hay fever, and affects a large percentage of children before they enter preschool.
The truth is that cavities are no fun at any age. Unfortunately, when children are the victims of dental disease, they are often unable to communicate their symptoms and the infection can quickly advance to alarming levels.
Undiagnosed or untreated tooth decay can lead to severe pain. For some children, the pain and discomfort can become so acute that it begins to interfere with normal activities such as eating, speaking, and concentrating. As a chronic infection, tooth decay can lead to lifelong health consequences as well as financial challenges.
Of course, tooth decay can be identified and treated with the help of routine dental examinations. However, the best defense against tooth decay is an active preventive effort. By setting an example for healthy living and modeling good homecare habits, you can make cavity prevention a part of your child’s daily lifestyle.
For more information on preventing our nation’s most common childhood disease, contact your Charlotte pediatric dentist for an appointment today.