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Parental influences
Bad teeth and poor oral health aren’t inherited, DeYoung said.

“Don’t think that just because your mother and your grandmother had bad oral health, that means that you have to,” she said. “It’s almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. It doesn’t have to be that way.”

But parental influences, teaching and socioeconomic conditions do have a big impact on oral health. By instilling good hygiene habits, parents can set their children on the road to good oral health, DeYoung said.

Cavities are the most chronic childhood disease, five times more common than asthma, according to the Center for Health and Heath Care in Schools. One reason is that low-income children don’t see a dentist regularly.

Also, children tend to “bathe” their teeth in sugar through candy and sweet drinks. The sugar combines with germs to produce the acid that eats away at the tooth’s enamel and creates cavities, DeYoung said.

Fifteen minutes after a child drinks a soft drink, the sugar’s acid is working on the tooth, she said.

Chewing sugary gum, sucking on lemons and limes, even drinking juice are culprits, she said. One of the worst is the acid candy, such as Lucas and Twang, that is so popular among children.

Parents can help by offering children an apple instead of apple juice (a practice that helps stave off obesity, too), buying sugar-free candy and gum, giving fluoridated tap water, and using fluoridated toothpaste. The fluoride bonds with teeth and builds them up while most other substances break them down.

“The teeth need as much help as they can get,” DeYoung said.

What can we do?
The solution is simple: good oral hygiene, which prevents the buildup of germs that cause damage. “A clean mouth is a healthy mouth,” DeYoung said.

She recommends brushing after eating. If that’s not possible, brush in the morning and night. Most importantly, brush before going to bed because what’s on your teeth will stay there while you’re sleeping.

The American Dental Association says a balanced diet can also help prevent gum disease. So does stopping smoking.

Adults, too, should drink fluoridated tap water. And of course, they should see the dentist every 6 to 12 months.

The city’s dental plans cover one preventive and diagnostic service every six months with no copayment.

If the problem is gingivitis or the early stages of periodontitis, beginning this routine may fix the problem. In the later stages of periodontitis, the damage is done and irreversible, DeYoung said.

In that case, the best you can hope for is to stop the progression.
Teeth can always be restored, but it might require a significant cost and needless pain.

“The most affordable dental care is prevention,” DeYoung said.

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